Tabris
by Scarlett Abner
Summary: The story of a city elf turned Grey Warden. This tale follows much of the storyline of the game but has several twists and turns people won't expect. It fleshes out the characters and answers questions. And it all starts with Fallon Tabris...
1. The Wedding

**The Wedding**

* * *

_July 20__th__, Mid-morning_

With a mighty beat of its wings the high dragon sent Fallon tumbling to the ground. Her red tresses came out of its bun and covered her face in tangled bunches. She couldn't see the creature as it approached, but the beast was upon her in moments, eager to dispense of this nuisance that had caused it so much anguish. It slowly opened its mouth, revealing it's dripping dagger teeth and carrion breath. In the back of its throat Fallon could see a faint red light grow with fervor. Its was at this point that Adaia jumped in with her twin blades slashing violently and stabbed the dragon through the jaw, giving Fallon enough time to get to her feet and back into combat. Her mother had been dead since Fallon was twelve but it was still nice to see her, even in her dreams.

The day had every potential to be perfect. The wind blew in off the rivers of Denerim at exactly the right angle and extended a gracious breeze to the elves of the Alienage. Summer was usually a terrible time for the elves, so many overheated and there was no proper healthcare. Elven healers were a rarity and were doomed to journey from one Alienage to the next; healing those they could reach in time. Fallon's father had the distinction of being one of them, although he was lucky enough to stay close to the overly crowded Denerim most of the time.

Today, did not partake in this traditional sweltering summer heat and Fallon finally had the chance to dream in peace, instead of her normal tossing and turning. She quietly enjoyed her battle with the dragon and had planned on sleeping in the morning, not having any chores to do that day, but her plans were thwarted as someone violently shook her awake.

"Wake up, Cousin. Why are you still in bed? You _do_ remember what today is, don't you?" Shianni said as she poked the sleeping elf sharply in the ribs, speaking much too quickly for Fallon's newly woken brain to comprehend. Fallon wanted to punch Shianni for her question. Of course she knew what today was….it was the one day she had off in a long time and she needed some damn rest.

"It's your wedding day, Fallon, so hurry and get around. Nelaros…" Fallon quickly got to her feet, nearly bumping her head on the oak bunk bed above hers, and cut Shianni off.

"No, no. Father told me I wasn't to get married for at least another month."

"Well, your groom came early. That's what I came to tell you. Nelaros and Valora arrived this morning."

"So just because they show up a few weeks early I have to get married today?"

"I know, I'm so jealous." Fallon rolled her eyes at her sweet naïve cousin. The girl was two years younger than Fallon and all she could think of was marriage and children. She didn't seem to realize there was a great big world just outside the Alienage walls, a world Fallon was dying to see.

Fallon allowed Shianni to help her get around and, though she was frustrated by her predicament, it wasn't Shianni that she had to discuss this with. Her father would soon be getting an earful.

Shianni scampered off as soon as the bride was around, claiming she had bridesmaid duties to attend to elsewhere. Fallon observed herself in the mirror briefly before leaving her small family home. She wished she could remember her mother. Her father claimed she looked exactly like Adaia but Fallon couldn't remember at all. It had only been a mere seven years but the images were faded and even the Adaia of her dreams was nebulous and hazy. All that she could remember was her mother's bright red hair and jade green eyes, both traits that Fallon had been lucky enough to inherit.

Many told Fallon that she was beautiful although she often didn't truly believe this claim. Her face was oval and she sported high cheekbones that gave her a defined look. Her lips were plump and shapely and her eyes were almond shaped. Fallon's nose was small , slightly pointy and she hated it. Shianni told her that she envied her nose but Fallon knew that it was only to make her feel better.

Today, Fallon knew she looked more beautiful than she ever had before and couldn't help but step out her door with confidence. Shianni had taken no shortcuts when getting her around for the wedding. Her long red hair had been brushed until it shone like copper and dark makeup was applied to her eyelids, making her green eyes shine even brighter. The dress that Shianni had given her to wear was probably the single most beautiful dress that Fallon had ever seen. It was long, flowing and white with gold embellishments around the collar. It was a more modest dress then Fallon traditionally wore, with a neckline that was just slightly off the shoulders but offered no cleavage at all. Fallon was a bit bustier then most and usually liked lower cut blouses because anything else looked odd on her. This dress was perhaps the only exception and Fallon was surprised at how fetching she looked. She left the small bedroom area to find her father.

"Ahh, my little girl. It's the last day I'll be able to call you that. Oh, I wish your mother could have been here." He grabbed her hand and kissed it lovingly, but Fallon was too angry to return a smile.

"Me too father, but she would be a bit bored because I'm not getting married today."

"Not this again Fallon, I thought we discussed this." He said as he withdrew his hand and rolled his eyes.

"We did discuss it and I never agreed. I don't understand why I can't choose my own husband anyway."

"Fallon, we've talked about this. Elven traditions stipulate arranged marriages. I did it, your grandparents did it, and your great-grandparents did it. This tradition has been established since the beginning of our culture. I know you're upset now but in time you will love your husband, just like I loved your mother."

"But I had another month, why now?"

"I'm not sure Fallon. Valendrian moved up the date. He authorizes all the marriages and decided to move this one up. It wasn't my decision, although I'm starting to think it was the right one. You probably would have run away otherwise." Fallon shook her head angrily, although the thought did cross her mind. She didn't want to get married right now and definitely not to someone she didn't even know. Fallon had never been romantically involved with someone and mostly got her information on love from storybooks, but she doubted that the practices in the Elven Alienages even slightly resembled what the poets talked of. She wasn't a hopeless romantic but she wasn't about to give herself to someone she didn't know.

"Now listen to me Fallon. You are getting married today and that's just all there is to it. You are lucky you had me to negotiate the marriage agreement; poor Soris is stuck with whoever the elders pick for him. I chose a fine and respectable young man who you will undoubtedly fall for with time."

"Fine, then let him court me and we can decide from there." Cyrion shook his head sternly.

"Stop it. You are shirking tradition because you want to follow a wild fantasy of battles and glory. You need to just forget all those things your mother taught about such things. There is nothing glorious about death. You can't just run off and fight whenever you feel like it."

"Mother was a great warrior and she wasn't afraid to stand up for what was right."

"Yes, she was, but I need you to promise me that you won't tell your future husband about the training she gave you… the knives and swordplay…. I've already talked to Soris about this."

"He'll find out sooner or later."

"Later, definitely later. Now go find your cousin. He's probably as nervous as you are." Cyrion shooed Fallon out of their small two room home. Fallon was sad to go. This would most likely be the last time she would be home since part of the wedding contract stipulated that she travel to the Highever Alienage with her husband. She wanted to leave Denerim and seek adventure but on her own terms, not tied to a stranger.

As Fallon walked around the Alienage she noticed how must effort was being put into this double wedding. Elves she didn't even know scurried about to make sure everything was prepared and many stopped her on the street to give her good wishes. The Alienage housed over ten thousand elves and a little less than half would be attending the wedding this afternoon.

As she wandered through the streets of her home, Fallon observed how cramped the place was. Trash and junk was left heaped outside of the shanty houses that the elves lived in. Beggars, who did not have enough to even afford a shack, lined the way out of the Alienage and harassed their kin for coin. It was a dreadful place where disease spread quickly and everyone was overworked and undervalued. No one had enough room for themselves, let alone their five children. It was built on sparse ground where only small amounts of grass grew and what did manage to grow was usually yellow from malnutrition. Yet, not a single one of the elves questioned their lives under the humans. Sure they would complain a bit, shake their fists at the sky, swear under their breath, but no one actually wanted to do anything about it. They were content in their squalor. Fallon wasn't. She wanted to fix the Alienage, but no one wanted to listen.

Soris was leaning against a tilted wooden apartment building cleaning the dirt from his nails when Fallon finally found him. He was one year older then her, twenty, and a few inches taller. Soris shared the same red hair as Fallon and Shianni which came from her mother's side of the family. Soris and Shianni's parents were killed when the two were very small and Adaia had agreed to take them in. Fallon was an only child but never felt that way. Her cousins became her siblings and she always respected her parents for taking them in.

Soris noticed Fallon and draped an arm around her shoulder as he started talking.

"There you are… I've been looking everywhere for you." Soris said with a smile. He was a very handsome man, though Fallon didn't see it, and could make most woman faint with his smile.

"Starting with under your fingernails?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I went to the house earlier but Uncle Cyrion said Shianni was helping you get ready. I didn't want to disturb you." He said removing his arm and turning to her.

"So our betrothed have come and from what I heard, your groom is a dream but…. Well lets just say that by all accounts, Valora looks like the wrong end of a horse."

"_You_ look like the wrong end of a horse Soris."

"Don't I know it…. But so do you and they found _you_ a decent husband."

"Well there are more important things then looks."

"Like…. A nice body?" Fallon punched him in the arm playfully.

"You are such a _child_, they shouldn't allow you to get married yet."

"…Says the woman who is all but _planning_ to run away the first chance she get."

"Who says I'm _not_ planning? I am not intending on getting married today." She said with complete seriousness in her voice. Soris took a step forward and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Are you serious Fallon? That's ridiculous. Sure we can complain about it as much as we want but…. This is just what happens when you turn twenty. So…" Fallon cut him off.

"You're twenty, I'm nineteen. Even by tradition I shouldn't be getting married yet. I'm not sure why they were trying to rush this along."

"Maybe because The Elders know you are just as restless as Aunt Adaia and if they don't get you tied down quick you'll run away." Fallon shrugged as Soris continued to speak. "Let's meet our betrothed and get this whole thing over with before we start to go crazy." He began to push her along, toward the central gates of the Alienage where all new arrivals would be.

"I thought you would want to run away with me." Fallon said huffily as they walked.

"Yeah? And where are you planning on going?"

"Maybe to the Dalish…"

"Keep dreaming cousin, they're imaginary. And even if they weren't, you think you could live the way they do, surrounded by nature and animals all the time?"

"I like nature and animals." She crossed her arms in protest.

"You'd learn to hate it if you lived like that, trust me." Fallon shrugged and the duo continued walking along.

The center of the Alienage was packed with people. Some were wedding guests, others were there setting up, and a vast majority were people trading at the small trading posts. Fallon noticed her cousin and her friends leaning against the main stage, apparently taking a break from setting up. As they approached, Fallon saw a group of humans approaching as well. They were well dressed and led by a blonde haired and bearded man. Fallon and Soris exchanged a look before quickening their steps.

"It's a party isn't it? Grab a whore and have a good time boys." The blonde human said as he grabbed Shianni from behind and pulled her toward him.

"Let go of me…" She said as she tried to get out of his grasp, but he dug his finger tightly into her upper arm and didn't look like he was interested in letting go. His lecherous grin said more than his words. This man wasn't interested in having 'a good time', what he wanted was control and pain. Fallon took a step forward but noticed something holding her back. She looked down at her wrist and saw Soris was holding it with a vice grip.

"Soris, what are you doing? Let go of me."

"I do that and you're gonna get us into all sorts of trouble with those humans. Why don't we avoid getting involved with this?"

"Not get involved…. That your sister, Soris, don't you realize what he's intending?"

"Fallon you step up and it'll just make it worse." Fallon yanked her arm out of his grasp and glared at him as she walked defiantly toward the humans.

"And what do we have here? Such a well-formed thing. I think we'll save you for last." He went to stroke the side of her face but Fallon swatted his hand away. His brow furrowed in anger.

"Get your hands off them." Fallon declared menacingly as the group leader got closer to her. The friend holding Shianni threw her to the ground and walked toward Fallon as well.

"Who do you think you are, Knife-Ears?" He went to strike her but the leader stopped the man's hand.

"You know elves, Geoffrey, every now and then they get this idea in their heads that they're actually people." Fallon looked over her shoulder to see that Soris was still there, but he had his eyes on his shoes. She couldn't believe that he was being so cowardly. The Soris she knew always talked big, about leaving the Alienage, about fighting back against the humans. He had been trained in swordplay just like she and Shianni, albeit he didn't take to it quite as well but he still knew his way around weaponry. He always seemed so strong and brave, but now her older cousin was too scared to defend her against a few humans; it was as if her entire life had been a lie.

"I'm warning you, leave and don't come back or there will be trouble." Fallon said, turning back to them. She noticed that Shianni was no longer in the dirt, but didn't see where she had gone too.

"Oh the whore is warning me now…. I think I'll take my…" Glass and alcohol went in all directions as a bottle of wine came into contact with the man's head. His blonde hair was turned suddenly rose colored both from liquor and blood as the man's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the ground. Shianni stood shaking behind him with what remained of the broken bottle in her hand.

"What did you do? That was Lord Vaughn, Arl Urien's son." One of the men exclaimed as he rushed to his friend's side.

"Well if he wants to maintain his reputation I suggest he doesn't come back, or I'll make sure all of Denerim knows that an elf girl knocked him unconscious."

"Oh Maker, What have I done?" Shianni said as the other nobles dragged Vaughan away. Soris put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her as Fallon spoke.

"He won't be coming back Shianni."

"Yeah, he wouldn't want everyone to know an elf girl took him down. He'll probably just pretend this never happened." Soris added, Fallon just glared at him.

"Maybe… I have more things to do…for the wedding…." Shianni's voice sort of trailed off as she withdrew herself from Soris and wandered off with her friends to get more work done. Two people Fallon had never seen before approached them. The first was a woman, lanky and a head taller than her. Her hair was tawny brown and she had huge thick bangs covering her forehead. The woman's eyes were small and ears were huge but she had a very pleasant smile on her face.

The second was a man a few inches taller than Fallon and had short bright blonde hair. His eyes were as blue as the sky on a summer day and sparkled with kindness. He was probably the handsomest man that Fallon had ever seen.

"Are you two okay?" Soris asked, extending a hand to the tall woman.

"We're fine, just a little shaken up." Her voice was sweet like honey and Fallon was surprised such an intoxicating voice could come out of such a homely woman.

"Fallon, let me introduce you to my betrothed, Valora, and this is Nelaros."

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance." Fallon said coldly as she extended a hand for him to shake. He took it carefully in his.

"The pleasure is all mine." Nelaros said as he bent down and bestowed a soft kiss on the top of her hand. Fallon smiled at him but it didn't reach her eyes.

"I'll leave you two alone….to chat." Fallon simply nodded as her cousin left, still mad at what he had done. The minute these two left she would be sure to have a conversation with him.

"So are you nervous?" Nelaros said still grasping her hand in his. Fallon didn't want to hold his hand but couldn't think of a way to separate from him without being offensive.

"I am a bit nervous, yes." She said coldly, not looking him in the eyes. Nelaros dropped her hand.

"I know how you feel, Fallon. I wasn't excited about an arranged marriage either."

"You do not know how I feel."

"Yes I do. I'm twenty four. I've had a chance to experience a bit of what life has to offer, but you are still quite young. I understand that you don't want to settle down yet. I didn't want to either. I managed to escape marriage for four years, but eventually I grew lonely, and I wanted something more than independence. I wanted stability and to share my life with someone else.

I am not expecting you to feel that same way as I do, and I don't want you to think that I will force you to do something that you don't want to do, but I wish you would at least consider marrying me because I believe that we could be very happy together."

Fallon didn't say anything although Nelaros' words did touch her heart. But it all came down to the fact that he was a complete stranger. She didn't want to marry a complete stranger.

"Well, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" Nelaros said but Soris interrupted him.

"Come on Cousin... lets give them time to get around." Soris said as he jabbed Fallon hard in the rib with his elbow. She would have thought he was reading her mind because Fallon was about to tell her betrothed all about her fight training. Maybe Cyrion had warned him.

Valora and Nelaros left and Fallon quickly turned on her cousin, about to harshly scold him for not defending his younger sister, but didn't have a chance. She turned to see that Soris was looking in a different direction, and he spoke before she could.

"Uh oh, more trouble." He pointed toward the center of town where a heavily armed bearded man stood happily. He looked as if he didn't have a trouble in the world, observing the comings and goings of the elves with complete ease. Humans were trouble and Fallon wasn't going to let him ruin the celebration…. Although…

"Come on Fallon." Soris said as he led the way to the silver armored human near the Alienage Tree. He marched right up to the dark haired individual and tapped him on the shoulder. Fallon knew that he was now overcompensating for his cowardice earlier.

"Excuse me, but you need to be moving along. The Alienage doesn't welcome humans and it would be better for you if you leave." The smiling man seemed a bit perplexed when he looked at Soris, then the approaching Fallon. He chuckled slightly.

"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of going."

"Sir, we mean no disrespect, but there is going to be a wedding shortly and I feel the guests would be much more at ease if you left." Fallon added.

"Such diplomacy, an excellent talent to have, but I still must decline."

"I must insist. I see that you are heavily armed so I will not be fighting with you, but I assure you that you don't want a problem from me. Please leave now."

"I am afraid that I cannot. Now what?" He seemed almost amused which led to Fallon being annoyed.

"Now you decide if you'd rather come up with a compromise or fight a group of unarmed elves."

"A compromise then. I am meeting someone here; I promise that I will leave after we have spoken." Fallon wanted to ask who the man was meeting in the Alienage but didn't even have a chance to contemplate it before Valendrian , the leader of the Elven elders, approached.

"Duncan, old friend, it is very good to see you." He clapped the man hard on his left metal pauldron.

"Valendrian? You know this man?" Soris asked shocked.

"Of course, Duncan and I are old friends. He's a commander for the Grey Wardens, out doing some recruiting so it would seem. I hope you have set your sights elsewhere. Weapon training is forbidden in the Alienage and I doubt there is anyone of Grey Warden material here."

The Grey Wardens, that sounded familiar to Fallon. She wracked her brain for the information she knew was stored there, somewhere from history classes long ago. Something about a Blight on the land and monsters that only the Grey Wardens could kill…. Wait… no, other people could kill them but the Wardens were good at killing them. The group of trained fighters had been banned for many years in Ferelden, only recently returning. Fallon had never seen a Grey Warden before, but she had heard that there were a few elf wardens over the centuries, that this group cared not about race or class. That was a refreshing outlook.

"I have come recruiting but you don't need to worry. I'm meeting a Knight from the Arl's castle in a few hours, just thought I would meet with you before I go on my way. But I see that you are in the middle of a wedding ceremony. Funny, but I don't remember you mentioning a wedding in your letter."

"Yes, well it just came up. This is Fallon Tabris and Soris Thien. Their betrothed arrived earlier and we had to move up the wedding."

"Well best of luck to both of you. Thien? Hmmm, any relation to Adaia Thien?" Duncan said as he turned to Soris. Fallon spoke up surprised.

"That was my mother. You knew her?"

"Briefly. We met a few times and I was considering conscripting her into the Grey Wardens, but….well sometimes things don't work out."

"Duncan, let me accompany you to the Gates. The Wedding is about to start and I don't want you to miss your appointment with that knight." Valendrian grabbed him by the arm and began urging him toward the exit. Fallon nodded a goodbye at Duncan but was having a hard time believing that her mother was ever going to be recruited into such a prestigious career. Perhaps, if she had been, she'd still be alive today.

"Can you believe that Aunt Adaia was gonna be a Grey Warden? Wonder what happened?" Soris said more to himself then Fallon.

"Don't you think for one second that I forgot what happened back there. They were harassing your little sister and you didn't do a thing to stop it! You are the oldest Soris, you're supposed to protect her."

"Shianni can take care of herself and I didn't see what the point of making a fuss about…"

"Making a fuss? No, standing up for your family is not making a fuss. You either do it, or you don't. You're a hero or a coward. We both know which one you chose today. Think about that the next time Shianni is in danger because I'll be too far away to help her." She stormed off, leaving her cousin to wallow in self pity.

Fallon pulled a stray strand of hair out of her face as she began walking toward her own doom. Her life would be ending shortly and there was very little she could do about it. Sure Nelaros seemed like a nice man but she didn't love him. Why did her father have to force her to make this kind of decision? Life with a stranger or never seeing your family again, how could someone decide that for themselves?

Her mother had been a strong woman. Adaia had wanted to have adventures and to help those less fortunate, Fallon had always looked up to her. Now her father was forcing her to, settle down, have lots of little elf babies and have supper on the table by dinner time. But she was a strong woman as well, she thirsted for adventure too, and if Fallon didn't help those less fortunate then no one would. Her decision was made for her. After the marriage ceremony she would make a run for it. It didn't matter where she was going as long as it wasn't here.

Fallon stood on the main stage with Shianni beside her. Flowers adorned her hair and a small veil was pulled over her face. Soris' bride, Valora also stood near her, along with Valora's friends from Highever. Nelaros and Soris were opposite them and the Chantry Sister was speaking. Fallon heard not a word of it as her heart pounded ferociously in her head and her stomach churned with nerves. Shianni put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and Fallon's heart stopped beating so heavily. She'd miss her cousin when she left. She'd miss both of them very much.

Yelling disrupted the ceremony and unglassed Fallon's eyes. She peered through the crowd and could see elves being shoved aside. The men towering over them by at least half a foot were clearly humans, but Fallon didn't see who they were until they got closer.

"Milord, this is an unexpected surprise..." The Chantry sister said as Vaughan and his men drew closer.

"Sorry to interrupt Sister but…. well I'm having a party and we're dreadfully short on female guests. " He climbed the steps onto the stage and Fallon could see now that he had brought armed guards with him this time. She stepped in front of Shianni, hoping to block her from view.

"Milord, this is a wedding!"

"If you want to dress up your pets and have tea parties then that's your business, but don't pretend this is a proper wedding. Now, we're here for a good time, so… let's take those two, that one in the tight dress, and…. where's the bitch that bottled me?"

"She's over here Lord Vaughan." One of the nobles said as he climbed on the stage and grabbed Shianni. Fallon turned quickly, intending to punch him in the face, but someone was holding her back. She groaned from frustration as she thought of the conversations she had just had with her father. Of course, he wouldn't allow her to bring weapons to the wedding ceremony. At this moment they lay under the bedroom floor boards. Cyrion Tabris had told his daughter that there would be no need for them at the ceremony, so there would be no need for her to take them. Fallon groaned again. She was about to elbow whoever held her back in the face when she noticed it was Soris.

"Soris! What in Maker's name are you doing?"

"Protecting you from Vaughan's gaze. This isn't the way to help Shianni." He pulled her back to Nelaros' side and let her go. Fallon quickly glared at him. Vaughan had clearly heard the scuffle and turned from the crowd he had been surveying to the rest of the wedding party.

"Oh… and look here, the pretty bride." Vaughan was now headed toward her, but Nelaros got between them. Fallon wished to give Soris a look, indicating his stupid plan hadn't worked but couldn't before Nelaros spoke to her.

"Don't worry Fallon. I won't let them take you!" Under normal circumstances perhaps this would have pulled at her heart strings but Fallon didn't like being protected.

"That's alright Nelaros. I can take care of myself."

"I bet you can," Lord Vaughan in a voice dripping with his lecherous intentions. "such a well formed thing…." He went to stroke her face, but Nelaros' hand stopped his.

"You're a villain. You will not touch my bride." One of Vaughan's henchmen rushed up behind Nelaros and held a knife to his throat. The crowd gasped, though did nothing, and Vaughan waved his companion away. Nelaros fell to his knees, rubbing the small cut on his throat, and breathing heavily.

"Now that's quite enough. I'm sure we all want to avoid further… unpleasantness. And believe me, I can make this very, very, unpleasant for the entire lot of you."

"Let them go this instant. You have no right to kidnap these women."

"I think I'll have to say no…" He beckoned for his other friend to come forward, the one not restraining Shianni. "Oh, we are going to have some fun…." The friend pulled back his hand…. Then, everything went black.


	2. A Night with Vaughan

Chapter 2: A Night With Vaughan

_July 20__th__, Late Evening_

Light slowly filtered in through Fallon's vision as she found herself lying face down on hard stone ground. She sat up slowly, trying to regain balance and noticed that Shianni sat beside her.

"Oh thank goodness you're awake. I was so worried."

"I'm fine Shianni. How long was I out?"

"Not sure. They knocked all of us out as well. We regained consciousness a few minutes before you. We checked the doors. They're all locked." The room they were stuck in had heavy stone walls and metal doors. Clearly this had once been an armory or treasury but at the moment it only housed a few frightened elves. Trying not to let fear get the better of her, Fallon wiped her sweaty palms on her beautiful wedding dress and got to her feet. There was a small barred window on the right, and though Fallon couldn't see much out of it, she could tell it was now night time. Several hours had passed since the wedding ceremony

"Alright, we need to come up with a plan to escape."

"Maybe we should just…. Do what he wants, then he'll send us home in the morning. At least we can get out of this with our lives. It'll be worse if we resist." Valora said quietly to the group, who Fallon quickly surveyed. Five elves, including herself, had been kidnapped. Beyond her cousin and Soris' bride, there was Valora's maid of honor….M-something, Fallon couldn't recall her name. Kora, an old friend of both Shianni's and Fallon's, sat praying alone.

"It'll be worse if we don't." Shianni said as the sounds of footsteps could be heard down the hall. Each heavy thud was a stab in Fallon's stomach. She searched wildly for any form of weapon, but there was absolutely nothing.

"Now listen to me. When they come in I want you all to make a run for it if you can, steal a weapon if you can get your hands on it, and try to get out of this mess unscathed. I'll try to make a scene to distract them."

"Fallon no… we'll…"

"You do what I say Shianni, if you see an opportunity I need you to take it." Fallon turned to her friend Kora, cowering in the corner. The poor girl was praying to the Maker.

"Kora, there's a time for praying and a time for action. I need you to fight like brave Andraste, alright?" Kora nodded and Fallon helped her to her feet as the sound of the door unlocking reverberated through the room. The metallic clink of gears turning in the tiny key hole seemed to echo for ages. Fallon tried to keep her heart from pounding so wildly. She was responsible for these women and had to keep a clear head if they were all going to make it out of this alive. The door swung open and seven armed men entered.

"Hello wenches, we're your escorts to Lord Vaughan's little party."

"Stay away from us!" Kora yelled and the guard stepped forward quickly, thrusting his sword through her heart. He withdrew the blade just as speedily and let the girl tumble to the ground.

Fallon watched as her friend's blood pooled on the floor. She saw the light leave Kora's eyes as she embraced the Maker that she had just been praying too. Fallon could say nothing, only stare at the lifeless body in front of her, the shock from her sudden death was felt by everyone in the room.

"You killed her." Valora's bridesmaid, as if she was hoping for it not to be true.

"That's what happens when you try teaching whores some respect. Now, you three, take the homely one and the one cowering in the corner. Groben and I will take the little redhead with the attitude, and you two are responsible for the bride. Vaughan wants to save her for last but says she looks like a scrapper. You'll need to bind her hands."

What was happening around her almost seemed like a dream. Although the elves did try to fight back they were outnumbered by heavily armored guards. Fallon saw out of her peripheral vision as they were taken from the room by force. She had been staring at Kora, hoping to convince the guards she was in shock and let them get close enough so she could steal a weapon. With the other elves gone now, the two guards in charge of her entered without caution. She was, after all, just a little elf.

"Why does Vaughan get to have all the fun? I say we have a little party of our own." One said, turning to his comrade, who shook his head in response.

"No, Vaughan gave specific instructions. Do you really want to get on his bad side?"

"One little elf…. Just one… he has the other three, why don't we just t…" His rationalization was interrupted as the sounds of footsteps could be heard quickly approaching. Someone rounded the corner, looking in the room, and though Fallon's vision was blocked by one of the guards, she had an idea who it was.

"He…Hello?" Soris said uncertainly, looking from Fallon to the guards.

"What's this? A little elf with a sword?" They started to laugh together, drawing their own weapons and closing in on Soris. He looked scared for a moment, drew the sword, and much to the surprise of both Fallon and the guards, skidded it across the granite floor to Fallon's feet. She bent over and picked it up without another thought, rushing up to the guards before they even had a chance to utter the curse words they were thinking and slashing both across the backs in one clean slice. Their armor protected them but the attack still stunned the soldiers as they tried to bring up their weapons to defend themselves. The first was dead before he even had a chance. Fallon plunged her sword through his neck, taking advantage of the one place not fully covered by the armor. Hot blood sprayed across Fallon's face and dress. She could taste iron in her mouth.

Dropping the first guard to the floor, Fallon turned to the second and saw that he had already fallen. A crossbow bolt was lodged in his throat and Soris stood beside the twitching man completely agape. These had been the first people either of them had ever killed, but Fallon couldn't let such a morbid topic dampen her mood. Her cousin had come to save her. She leapt towards him, engulfing him in a warm embrace that he only half reciprocated.

"Soris! What are you doing here? I thought we were doomed." She asked as she pulled out of the hug and looked into her cousin's blue, frightened eyes.

"The Elders wanted to leave you here… but Nelaros… he just wouldn't have it. Said he'd go up there alone if he had to. But I remembered that Grey Warden so we went to ask him for help. He said that he couldn't intervene but loaned us his weapons, his sword and crossbow. Me and Nelaros decided to split up so we could find you better." Fallon looked Soris up and down for a moment to decide if what he said was true. If it was then that meant the Elders of the Alienage cared little for what happened to their young women, her father among those Elders. However, it also meant that Nelaros was turning out to be a fine young man. Maybe she'd decide to court him after all this was over. Maybe.

"We can discuss that later. They took the others away a few minutes ago. Maybe if we hurry we can catch the guards before they deliver them to Vaughan." She motioned for him to be quiet as she simultaneously wiped the blood from the sword onto her already ruined dress, and led the way into the corridor.

The area they were locked in had been sweltering, and the small slit window inside did nothing to cool the air. Heavy breathing from the nervous women caused the temperature of the room to peak even higher and when Fallon entered the hallway she was immediately greeted by a cool breeze that was obviously just room temperature. The coolness calmed her heart and eased her mind. She needed to find Shianni.

The twisting corridor was much more confusing then Fallon and Soris had originally expected but they tried to avoid danger whenever possible, keeping to the shadows and hiding from guards if they had time. Though they had no problem killing Vaughan's minions, neither of them wanted to waste needless time on fights when they needed to get to the women as quickly as possible.

"Alright which way do you think Vaughan's room would be?" She asked her cousin.

"Why are you asking me? My plan ended when I threw you the sword. I'll shoot whoever you need me to but other than that you're on your own."

"Soris, you are lucky I love you."

"Is that a threat or…." Soris' comment was cut off as a troop of several soldiers could be heard approaching. From the din of their boots on the granite, Fallon guessed that it was at least ten men. She wasn't interested in fighting that many at the moment. She motioned to the door behind her and requested silently that Soris follow her in. They both backed into what they assumed was a closet before the soldiers were upon them, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Oi! What's this?" Fallon turned around and saw that a gruff, bearded soldier had been the one doing the talking, but as her eyes grew accustomed to the light she saw where she was.

"What're you doing with a sword, elf?" The bearded man asked and his fellow soldiers in the dining hall murmured their agreement. Fallon quickly tried to do a head count but decided against it. There were at least fifteen, probably more. She slipped her hand to the nearest table.

"Hey. I'm talking to you, el…" He didn't get to finish his sentence before Fallon threw the steak knife off the table into his eye. It was a lucky shot, and she knew she'd never be able to throw like that again. _Thank the Maker_, she thought to herself. The men jumped up from their seats and withdrew their weapons. Fallon took a defensive position in front of Soris who tried to shoot the soldiers before they got too close. Where he didn't succeed, Fallon got them before they reached him. She barely had time to think and instinct was the only thing that kept them alive. Swinging, steel against steel, screams, blood, then repeat all over again. A dance of furious and frightening movement, a dance of death.

Moments later, with only a superficial scratch to her left knee, Fallon and Soris moved on, avoiding the corpses as they did. Soris couldn't escape the blood this time.

"I think I'm gonna be sick. Some of it got into my mouth." Soris said, looking thoroughly green as they departed the bloody dining hall and entered the hallway once more.

"You can be sick later. Right now we need to focus on saving the others." He nodded his agreement and quickened his pace to match Fallon's fast stride.

_It's been too long. Dear Maker, it has been way too long_, Fallon thought to herself as they became lost once more in the winding corridors of the Arl's castle. She wasn't sure what time it was but knew that the girls had arrived at Vaughan's long ago. Long enough for…. _No_, Fallon halted her disturbing thoughts_, I must not think like that. Just find them, and worry about the other matter when they're safe again._

Just when she was about to give up hope, Fallon heard talking from beyond the door. She and Soris crept closer, both pressing an ear to the solid oak.

"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about." It was Nelaros' voice, followed by a loud thunk, and a groan from her groom. Fallon tried to push open the door but found a small piece of wood was lodged beneath the frame, and the door couldn't be opened.

"Soris! Come on we need to get this opened." She and Soris frantically tried to unwedge the wood but the space from the floor to the door was cramped and they could barely get their fingers beneath it.

"An elf prisoner escapes and then we find another elf wandering the halls with a weapon. Now that is suspicious." Another thunk followed, yet again, by Nelaros' groan. "And then we discover that this was the same women meant to be your bride this morning. Forgive my insolence, but I doubt that the two things aren't linked." Another thunk.

"Fallon escaped huh? Well she probably did it all on her own, didn't need my help at all." Fallon felt the wood start to budge slightly as she and Soris began wiggling it back and forth.

"A little elf maiden escape on her own? No, you helped her. But it's no matter to us. We'll find where you hid her, and the woman will suffer for your disrespect. Kill him." The wood was removed and Soris quickly leapt to his feet and opened the door, with Fallon charging in immediately. Blood spurted from a kneeling elf's chest as one of the three guards in the room slashed him across the torso.

"Nelaros!" Fallon cried out as he fell backwards into his own blood, mouth slightly open and eyes blinking hastily from shock.

Without a thought in her head besides revenge, Fallon skewered the guard nearest her, slashed the other across the eyes and leaped upon the captain, holding the point of her glistening sword to his quivering neck.

"Where is Vaughan?" The man barely had the courage to speak.

"V…Vaughan is through this door and down the hall. H…His room is guarded by two soldiers… Please don't…." But Fallon had already slit his throat and as he gurgled his way into death she was at Nelaros' side, finding him still breathing, but only just.

"Fallon…. I'm glad Soris found you."

"I'm sorry Nelaros. I'm so sorry." She said, head bent down and tears in her eyes.

"I'm glad that I had a part in rescuing you, my bride. Here." He put his hand towards her and as Fallon looked closer she saw that he held a ring in his hand. It had been hammered from gold and copper and looked exquisite.

"I made this… for you…..Fallon thought her voice would fail her so she simply nodded, putting the ring on her finger and leaning toward her betrothed, kissing him passionately on the lips. Her very first kiss.

When she pulled away Nelaros smiled for a moment, then his head lolled to one side. Fallon had to turn away so she wouldn't throw up.

"I'm sorry Fallon…" She nodded to her cousin as she wiped away the tears.

"Come on. We need to get moving."

_He can't have died for nothing… We need to rescue them. _These thoughts went over and over in Fallon's mind as she raced to their destination, barely slowing down as she killed all in her path. She was a monster now, a blood thirsty monster, and the only thing that could stop her rampage was Vaughan's death.

Fallon heard the sobs before she could even see Vaughan's body guards. They were Shianni's sobs. She had heard them only once before when they were children. She flashed back to that day, when they stood in the street, looking at Abby the cat, who was very much dead. She had been trampled by a horse and poor Shianni, with her little red pigtails, was sobbing uncontrollably. It was a terrible thing to hear coming from such a happy little girl, and Fallon liked it even less now.

Soris shot two bolts into the first bodyguard's chest as Fallon rushed in and loped off the other's arm. His screams of agony caused the catcalling in the other room to stop and Shianni's sobs grew slightly less urgent. With another thrust of the sword, the man fell to his knees dead. Fallon withdrew her weapon and headed to Vaughan's bedroom door. Her boot slammed into the door near the lock and splintering of wood echoed through the hall as it fell open. The stunned faces of four nobles stood looking at her. Shianni sat upon the ground, shaking and barely clothed. Fallon felt her anger swell.

"Don't worry, we'll kill them Lord Vaughan." One of the noblemen said as he grabbed his sword, but the blonde ringleader stayed his hand.

"Are you insane? They're covered in enough blood to fill a tub." Fallon instinctively looked down at her white wedding dress. It was white no longer. Some of the blood from the earlier guards had time to dry and turn brown. It caused the fabric to be stiff and hard to move, although Fallon didn't notice it until that moment. The rest of her dress was either bright red or stained a lighter shade, not exactly pink but not dried brown either. Her left hand felt her face quickly and Fallon could tell that she wore a mask of the soldiers' blood. It felt caked on but cracked under any facial movement, and there were small streaks that were carved out of the speckled mask from little droplets of sweat. She couldn't imagine how she looked, but it must be a frightening sight to behold. That alone almost made her smile.

"Now listen here. You're a reasonable girl, I'm sure. You know what would happen to that pit you live in if I ended up dead, so how about a compromise?" Vaughan said as he took a step away from Shianni. His hands were raised in a defensive position but he still had a sword on his hip. Not a decorative piece either.

"I'm not interested in talking."

"Wait. Before you do anything rash, hear me out. My death would cause so much trouble for your little home; I wouldn't be surprised if all the elves rights were taken away completely. There would be riots, crime, and even worse conditions. So listen to me before you decide what you want to do."

"Let's hear him out, Fallon." She gave him an icy glare in response but allowed Vaughan to continue.

"If you leave now, I will give you ten sovereigns for your troubles. Now that's a lot of money. Enough to start a life outside of the Alienage. You two could split it, or not, I really don't care. I'll give you the money and you go. No trouble will be made on either side and we can both continue to live with our heads secured to our necks. Deal?"

"…and the women?" Fallon added cautiously, to which Vaughan smiled and replied.

"The women stay with me."

Fallon didn't even have to think about it. The answer was clearly no, and it was written all over her fearsome face, blood mask creasing and cracking as she issued a battle cry and charged toward Vaughan. She heard Soris engage in battle behind her with a sword he acquired from a dead bodyguard.

Vaughan was a fearsome fighter but he was no match for Fallon, who was not solely driven by self-preservation. Her mind was a cauldron of emotions, bubbling into a brew that lent her the strength she needed. Rage and love worked hand in hand to make her practically unstoppable.

Two of Vaughan's lackeys tried to attack as she battered him and both were given three seconds attention before they lay bleeding profusely on the floor. Then her attention was back on her nemesis, who blocked all attacks that came at him. He had been properly trained, with suitable teachers and equipment. Fallon had her mother in the alleyway with sticks, but it was almost an even match. Almost, but truly the poor nobleman didn't have a chance.

Sparks flew as Vaughan repeatedly blocked her attacks and Fallon knew that if she didn't finish him quickly more guards would eventually show up. With a swing to his right hip to confuse his block, followed by a left to right downward sweep across his chest, Vaughan lay on the ground with blood pooling beneath him. He had simply crumbled to the floor, a fall that wasn't befitting to a noble. Fallon kicked him hard in the ribs, heard some snap, and went to Shianni's side.

"Did…Did you kill them?" The girl had grabbed a blanket and was trying to cover herself, but her extremities still shook violently as though she were trying to shake a fly from her body.

"Like dogs." Fallon said as she helped Shianni to her feet, Soris leaving the area to rescue the other women.

"Good…. Good. Please, just…. Take me home Fallon. I want to go home."

"We're on our way Shianni. Soris is just getting the others." Fallon was surprised as Shianni pulled her into a close hug, crying almost unnoticeably on her shoulder. Her sobs were so soft that no one would be able to hear them, but Fallon could feel the rapid exhaling of air and couldn't stop a few tears herself.

"Thank you…. Thank you so much …." She said in between sobs. All Fallon could do was clutch her sobbing cousin, and try to hold back her own emotions, which threatened to break forth at any moment. Soris returned with the other two girls before this happened, and Shianni suddenly had her composure back, although she still shook violently.

"Shianni are you alright? We heard…." Valora asked cautiously but was cut off quickly by the young elf.

"I'm fine Valora, they beat me up a bit, that's all. Soris and Fallon got here in time, thank the Maker." The group all muttered their thanks as well, but Fallon eyed Shianni cautiously. She knew what she saw. Shianni didn't look at her but half shook her head, as if discouraging something.

"Alright, it's time to get out of here. Now Soris knows a back way out of the castle but we are still going to have to sneak by the guards, and the Alienage is all the way across town, so we won't be home until early morning. Let's head out."

_July 21__st__, Early Morning_

The sun was just turning into a red orb on the horizon as the small group made their way through the Alienage gates. Fallon didn't think she had ever been so happy to see them. Their escape had been timed perfectly, just after the gates were opened but before the majority of elves were up and moving. No one would notice the blood covered duo and their frightened companions.

As they walked into the Alienage, Fallon saw that a greeting party had arrived. It was not the soldiers she had expected, but Valendrian and the Grey Warden, Duncan.

"Oh thank goodness you're all safe."

"Not all of us, Elder. They killed Kora and Nelaros." Soris said, arm wrapped protectively around Valora. Valendrian shook his head in response.

"This is utterly terrible. How did you escape?" He asked Fallon although the amount of blood was an indicator.

"We had to, Elder. I'm sorry. There was no other way to save the women. I know how much trouble this will cause…. Vaughan is dead, along with his four friends and many of his guards."

"You two, please take Shianni home. I need to speak to Fallon and Soris for a moment." Valendrian waited until the protests subsided and the threesome set off in the direction of the Tabris household before speaking again. "This will indeed be a problem. Have you two thought of what you are planning on doing?" They shook their heads simultaneously, looking thoroughly ashamed, though Fallon didn't feel it. These nobles deserved to die. Even if they threatened to hang her she wouldn't apologize.

"That must have been a difficult battle. I am glad to see that both of you made it through unscathed." Duncan said formally, easing the tension of the silence.

"No…. I just shot the arrows sometimes; Fallon did all the hard work. You'd never think she was such a skilled fighter to look at her… but she is and…" Valendrian cut him off.

"Yes…. You are both skilled. Now let's address the matter at hand. The guards are likely coming for you." He said as he exchanged a look with Duncan.

"If you can delay the guards for a few minutes Soris and I can make a run…"

The pounding of armored feet could be heard approaching on the gravel roads. Part of Fallon wanted to run, but she stood her ground and held her head high as the guards rounded the corner.

"There is a trail of blood leading through the corridors of the Arl's Castle, countless lie dead. Elder of the Alienage, we need you to turn over the culprit of this heinous crime." The Captain of the Guard addressed them in a booming voice that didn't quite fit his face. Fallon had remembered seeing him before. He had seemed nice.

"There is no need to address the Elder, Ser, I am responsible for the violence in the castle." Fallon said as she stepped forward. The guards stared at her in disbelief, both from her disheveled state and her confession.

"Only you? You are the only one responsible?" He asked in an unbelieving tone. Fallon simply nodded in response. "Well… I've seen stranger things. Alright, boys take her to the dungeons. I don't envy you your fate, Miss."

"Wait a moment, Ser. I am Duncan of the Grey Wardens and I am hereby evoking my Right of Conscription. This woman is now in the custody of the Grey Wardens and I cannot allow you to imprison her." Duncan said, matter-of-factly, his hands clasped behind his back. The man was always so composed, Fallon wondered if he had been a noble before he was a Grey Warden. The guards looked puzzled for a moment before speaking again.

"Fine…. I really don't care. Just get her out of the city today." The guard said, ushering the rest of the men away. Fallon found his demeanor quite odd, since she was responsible for slaying many important people, namely the Arl's son, but brushed the thought aside as she realized what he had said. _Get her out of the city today._ She was leaving the Alienage. Suddenly couldn't think of anywhere she would rather be.

"Hurry and gather your things, we must leave for Ostagar immediately. I am sure that you will wish to say some goodbyes. I will be here when you are ready." Duncan said as he regained his composure once more. Fallon turned to Valendrian who embraced her tightly.

"I never wished this for you… this death. Good luck Fallon. I am sorry I couldn't prevent this." He had whispered it so quietly in her ear that for a moment she thought she'd imagined it. Now it was startlingly clear why her wedding date had been moved up. She withdrew from the hug and went to her cousin, who stood in the shadows of a shack, kicking up dirt with his toe.

"That was a nice thing you did, taking responsibility…"

" I'm a nice girl…." She said with a smile.

"You are a nice girl. Please don't let that change, Fallon. You've seen how that Grey Warden is, so formal all the time. Please always be exactly how you are." She nodded in response from the urgency in his voice.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I think I'll marry Valora. She's a good woman and I just realized that I don't have a taste for adventure in the least. We'll settle down… start a family."

"You'll be a great father, Soris."

"I hope so." With that last statement, Fallon left her cousin. There was one person that she needed to see.

Valora and her friend stood watch outside of the small room that Shianni and Fallon shared. They looked worried but their faces brightened when Fallon approached.

"She really wants to see you. I think she's hurt worse then she let on." Valora said quietly.

"She'll be fine Valora. You know what I heard? My cousin still wishes to marry you."

"Well he had better, after all that…." She said with a smile.

" Yes, well, you promise to be good to him. He's a good man."

"I will. Fallon? What's going on? Why are you acting so strangely?" Valora asked but Fallon waved her off as she entered her bedroom. It was hard to believe that slightly less than a day earlier she had been getting around for her wedding. Everything had changed so quickly.

Shianni was laying down in the upper bunk, covered in several layers of blankets and looking thoroughly ill. She sat up and smiled when she saw Fallon and exited the bed as quickly as possible.

"I'm going away. The Grey Warden…."

"Recruited you? Its better this then the noose I guess."

"At least I know what the noose is…" Fallon joked half-heartedly. " Are you alright Shianni?"

" I'll be fine. I just need some time. I had to tell the others that Vaughan just… knocked me around a bit… if I didn't everyone would have treated me like some … fragile doll. You understand don't you?" Fallon nodded, she understood all too well. She wouldn't want anyone knowing if it had happened to her either.

"You should tell Father."

"I may, but you know Uncle Cyrion, he worries way too much." She smiled then added, "Be careful. If this a real Blight like that man said, you need to be as cautious as possible. I'd like you to come home in one piece." Fallon changed out of her wedding dress and into a different set of clothing. She packed a few more outfits into a satchel and pried up the floor boards to retrieve her mother's twin swords, identical steel creations with a blue handle. She gave Shianni a hug, and left the room, walking straight into her father.

"You're leaving…. I just don't know what to say. You would have been leaving this morning no matter what, but the circumstances were so much different. I was sending you into the comfort of a loving new home with a husband, but now you're going off to war. It's not the life I ever envisioned for you, and I doubt your mother envisioned it either."

" I will be fine, Father, I promise. I need you to look after Shianni."

"It is as I feared then…."

"She'll be fine, but I am having some difficulty saying goodbye. She's my younger cousin, and… now I have to leave forever…"

"Not forever, child, you'll come back soon."

" I hope you're right."

" I'm your Father, of course I'm right."

The sun was just getting to the midway point in the sky when Fallon finally exited Denerim beside the Grey Warden. It would take several weeks for them to reach Ostagar on foot but Fallon wasn't concerned about the time. The course of her life had changed forever, and though Soris had begged her otherwise, Fallon felt like a different person already. She twisted Nelaros' ring around her finger a few times before rushing to catch up to Duncan. Yes, her life was forever changed.


	3. Into the Wilds

Into the Wilds

August 21st – _Mid-Day_

The spires of the Tower of Ishal sat jagged against the blue sky as Fallon walked back toward camp. The guards had been rude, thought she was a servant, called her knife ears, and sent her away. "Well that's a refreshing attitude," Fallon muttered under her breath when she was denied access by Loghain's soldiers. Duncan encouraged her to explore but the first place she stopped was guarded by cruel humans.

The king had seemed genuine enough when he greeted her and Fallon had assumed it would be different here. They were out of the Alienage after all. Surely racism and prejudice wouldn't follow her all the way to the edge of the Korcari Wilds where darkspawn, witches, and other wild creatures should be a bit more important than the slant of your ears, but she was evidently wrong.

As she wandered aimlessly through the crowds of Ostagar, Fallon thought back to the day she finally opened up to Duncan, and he, in turn, opened up to her. It was a week before they arrived in Ostagar and after a sweltering day of trudging under their heavy packs they had retired by a river's edge. Fallon had not spoken in several weeks. Her heart was in serious anguish as she thought of her family and of the man who died to save her. Fallon pondered every day why she deserved to live and Nelaros should die. She couldn't come up with a proper answer. It was on this day, with a cool breeze on their face and warm bowls in their hands, that she finally decided to speak.

"You knew my mother?" She grunted quietly as the warm soup passed down her throat, warming her cold heart.

"Briefly. She was about your age, maybe younger, at the time and I was searching for recruits."

"Why didn't you recruit her into the Grey Wardens? I am sure that a life of adventure would have appealed to her."

"Yes and if I had, she wouldn't have married your father and you never would have been born."

"But you'd have a senior Warden to help fight the Blight instead of an apprentice… in fact it may have been better for a lot of people if she had been inducted all those years ago."

"You are speaking of the incident in Denerim? This was hardly your fault. Think of what would have happened if you had not been around. "

"I have." She looked down at her empty soup bowl and ran her finger around the rim to get any excess.

"How did your mother die?" Duncan asked in a very soft tone as an owl hooted somewhere in the distance.

"She was killed when I was twelve." The abruptness of her statement made it very clear that she was not interested in sharing that story quite yet. Duncan simply nodded in response and returned to his soup. There was a brief pause before she spoke once more. "Do you have a family Duncan?"

"Not a traditional family, no, but you will hopefully come to see the Grey Wardens as something of a family as well."

"There isn't a single person that leaped to mind when I asked that question? No woman in your life?"

"There is no woman, but there is a young warden I am actually quite close to..."

They had talked long into the night about a great many things and when day finally broke over the horizon, Fallon was in a much better mood. Her hatred toward herself wasn't completely diminished but at least she could speak again and no longer brooded over what had happened to her, and what was happening to her family.

The man that Duncan thought of like a son was the one he sent Fallon to find when they entered Ostagar. He told her to look around, get some food and rest, but then find this Alistair. She had already tried unsuccessfully to explore the various interesting places of Ostagar so Fallon decided it was time for a meal.

The prospects weren't good, even the Alienage had better meals then the army encampment. The soldiers hadn't gotten fresh supplies in a few weeks and much of the food had spoiled. High ranking officers and Grey Wardens were given the very best of the meals, but as far as the soldier in charge of rations was concerned, she wasn't a Grey Warden yet.

"This food's for the soldiers and you're not even one of those…." The gruff, slightly overweight man grunted as he moved a crate of dried bread out of a wagon and onto a wobbly table.

"I am a soldier; I'm here to help defend against the Blight."

"And what are you gonna do miss? Bat your eyelashes at the Darkspawn? These creatures are fearsome. They'll gut you and leave you to rot, or drag you underground to do Maker-knows-what to you….Everything these things touch is corrupted, so if I were you I'd just tuck my tails between my legs and head back to whatever Alienage I came from." The man's breath smelled like a bad mixture of onions and cheese. She doubted very heavily that he had ever been in a real battle, although really she hadn't either.

" Well why don't you go ahead and do that…. I'll be here, saving Ferelden."

"You want to help, Knife Ears? Why don't you run off and do something you're capable of… Find a nice comfortable tent to lay down in, I know some of these men are in search of pleasurable compan…. " He didn't get the last bit out before Fallon tackled him, punching him in the face. She straddled him and she repeatedly struck him in the face, rage in her eyes and blood on her knuckles.

"You… will…not…call…me…a…whore!" She said, emphasizing each word with a punch. All she saw was Vaughan, and she wanted to kill him all over again.

"What in the Maker's name is going on here?" An old woman rounded the corner, and from the simple outfit she wore and pouches at her belt, Fallon guessed she was the cook. She dismounted the man, and shook her hand as pain began to creep into her joints.

"I'm sorry… he…" The woman put a reassuring hand on Fallon's shoulder, and then went to the side of the bruised and bloody man.

"This elf just attacked me! Just cause I wouldn't give her any food! She's insane!" He whispered as he got to his feet.

"I understand… now go talk to Mother Vessa, she'll make sure you get some ointment for your injuries." The man ran off and Fallon looked down at her bloody hand. Some of the delicate skin on her knuckles had been scrapped away from the blows but a vast majority of the blood didn't belong to her. She couldn't believe her outburst or her immense hatred toward the man. Fallon had never been an angry person, she felt no ill will toward the humans as a whole, but something about the way the man implied those things made her snap. She didn't regret punching him, not even a little bit.

"Come along dear, I'll get you some proper food." The old woman had shorter hair, which was pulled back into a severe ponytail. Her eyes were blue and intense. Fallon could tell that she had been very beautiful in her youth, for she was still quite attractive now.

The woman led Fallon to a nice tent near the center of camp. On one side she could hear the chants of the Sisters from the Chantry¸ on the other, the chants of the mages. The elf knew very little about mages, only what her father told her when a friend had been taken away by Templars. They lived in tower in Lake Calenhad where they learned magic, the Chantry watched over them, and the Templars protected them. That was it. She had never met a mage before, that is until now.

"Are you a mage?" Fallon asked the older woman as she was handed a bit of herbed bread.

"Yes, why do you ask?" The woman was searching through boxes and bags and didn't turn toward Fallon as she answered.

"I've never met a mage before. I lived in Denerim, this is my first time away from home."

"How did you come to be here?" She asked as she found what she was looking for, some dried fruit and a flask. She gave both of these to Fallon as well, who took them greedily.

"I was recruited by Duncan."

"So you are to be a Grey Warden, then? I've met another Grey Warden recently. Alistair, I think his name was. Poor fellow was being harassed by the Revered Mother."

"Alistair, yes, I have to meet with him. Could you tell me where he was headed?"

"Not before you finish your meal. Poor thing must be starved. I am Wynne, pleased to meet you."

"I'm Fallon Tabris."

" I wonder Fallon, how much do you know of the Darkspawn?" In truth, Fallon knew next to nothing. They were bad evil creatures and according to the fat smelly man she pummeled, everything they touched was corrupted by them. She searched her mind for anything she could recall from school.

"I judge from your silence that it isn't much. Well how about I tell you how the Chantry believes they came into existence?" Wynne didn't wait for a response before she began. "Long ago, before Ferelden was Ferelden, a group of evil mages sought to gain entry into the Golden City of the Maker. They spent much time in the Fade, seeking to…"

"What's the Fade?"

"Its where all people, besides the Dwarves, go to dream and where spirits and demons reside. Many believe that the Fade is where we go when we die. So these mages eventually got into the Golden city and their sin turned the gold to blackness. The Maker sent them back, cursed versions of their former self. These creatures now search tirelessly for their Old Gods that were cast out by the Maker as well."

"Is it true?"

"I'm not sure if we will ever know, but its as good an explanation as any."

"The Darkspawn search for the Old Gods? Are these the ArchDemons?"

"As far as the Chantry is concerned, yes. The False Gods taught people magic in hopes of getting them to overthrow the Maker and rule once more, but it went horribly wrong and now the Seven Tevinter Gods are doomed to become insane horrors."

"That's a sad story."

"Indeed, much sadder, for we are living it now." Fallon quickly finished the rest of the bread and pocketed the dried fruit as Wynne finished the tale. After taking a swig of water, she handed it back. Wynne refused its return.

"Thank you for the food Wynne, but I must meet with Alistair." She said as she got to her feet.

"Of course, he was sent to talk to Gunther. Turn right out of the tent and head up the first stairs you see. You should find him there."

"Thank you again. Perhaps when this is all over, we could talk again."

"Perhaps, but I don't know how much I trust King Calian's assertions." With that cheery and vague message, Fallon left. Duncan had said something similar when the King thought the battle could be won quickly. Part of her was hoping that maybe the Wardens wouldn't even need her, perhaps she could return to the Alienage and see her family and…

Her thoughts were interrupted by an argument. A blonde man in armor and a dark haired mage were bickering back and forth about some sort of message being delivered. Fallon knew it was best to stay out of other people's arguments so she stood back and tried very hard not to listen. Looking around she saw no one else up there and hoped that one of these two could direct her to where Alistair was.

"Out of my way, fool!" The argument was over and the mage, in anger, pushed Fallon aside as he walked away. Fallon hadn't been prepared for the assault and lost her balance. Before she had a chance to fall on her face a hand grabbed her arm to steady her. She looked up to see that it was the blonde man, smiling. Once her feet were steady, she wrenched her arm out of his hand, uncomfortable with a human touching her.

"You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Thank you."

"One of my many jobs, annoy mages, rescue pretty woman from falling, and kill darkspawn."

"Kill Darkspawn? Are you Alistair?" She rubbed her arm where he had grabbed her. It wasn't sore but she couldn't help herself. His touch unnerved her.

"Oh you must be Duncan's new recruit, Fallon was it? I'm sorry I wasn't where he told me to meet you, the Revered Mother gave me a message and… well …the woman wields guilt so well they should put her in the army." He laughed, and Fallon couldn't help but stare at him. Why was he so at ease?

"But we really should get going, Duncan is sending you and the other recruits you n a mission and I'm supposed to oversee you."

"You are coming with us?"

"Don't worry. I'll try not to embarrass you." He smiled again and Fallon couldn't help but smile in return.

"No… I'm glad you're coming with us."

They met the other two recruits on the way to find Duncan. The first was Daveth, a Chasind thief who Fallon liked instantly. He was charming and quick witted, if a bit of a flirt. The second was Ser Jory, a Redcliffe Knight who didn't seem like he was at all up to the task of fighting the Blight. Fallon found him whiny and easily scared, but he must be talented in some way to impress Duncan.

"Good you're all here," Duncan said as the foursome stood around the fire, "Now before we get started with the Joining I need you to complete a task for me. One part of the ritual needs vials of Darkspawn blood, one for each of you. You must go into the Korcari Wilds and bring back the blood so the mages can get started on the Ritual."

"Into the Korcari Wilds… I knew it. Didn't I tell you Fallon?" Daveth said with a smile. She nodded.

"Yes, very clever Daveth but this isn't all I need of you. Long ago the races of Ferelden signed a treaty with the Grey Wardens, promising that they would come to our aide in the event of a Blight. These treaties were abandoned when the Wardens left Ferelden and the fortress lies deep within the Korcari Wilds. I need you to bring them to me."

"Do you really think we will need them?"

"I don't know Alistair, but I believe we might. Now Alistair will be going with you. He will make sure you avoid the bulk of the Horde but you will be fighting Darkspawn. I want to make sure you understand that." There was silence as the recruits contemplated fighting these creatures everyone else feared. "Alright. You have two days. Get back as quickly as you can, we don't know when the Horde will choose to strike."

Fallon knelt before the pack she had been given, stuffing it with all the supplies they had given her. The Grey Wardens had dipped into there coffers to buy the elf a sword and a dagger to fight with. She felt like a beggar and vowed never to let anyone buy her anything ever again. They would be spending two days in extremely unfamiliar territory, surrounded on all sides by vicious creatures that wanted them dead. Fallon noticed her hands were shaking as she tried to buckle her two sheaths to her back.

"You alright there Fallon?" It was Daveth. He was fully dressed in leather armor that had evidently been tailored to him. Fallon was stuck wearing worn stuff that they found in a backroom somewhere.

"Of course, its just a little chilly." It wasn't.

"We have a few moments to kill before we have to be at the gates… how were you planning on spending them?" He asked jokingly.

"I was kind of hoping I'd get a chance to beat someone into a bloody pulp, like the soldier I attacked earlier today…" She said in a light hearted, friendly tone as she finished getting around.

"That was you? Huh… what set you off?"

"What doesn't really? Look at me the wrong way, hand me the wrong sword, proposition me while I'm trying to pack… its an endless list." Daveth laughed heartily as he helped Fallon to her feet.

"I like you Fallon. You are my kind of woman."

"Hit on me again, my fellow recruit, and you'll be my kind of woman too." He laughed again and slapped her on the back. Yes, Fallon liked Daveth, and she felt that he liked her too, but it was definitely not in that way, for either of them.

As the duo neared the gates into the Korcari Wilds, they watched as they opened to allow a man and a dog entry. It was a mabari. Fallon had never seen one before but the dogs were popular among the armies since they were as smart as any human. But they were rare and could usually only imprint on one owner. If that one died, the dog was practically useless. This dog was severely injured and Fallon could tell that he wasn't likely to make it. The man stopped Fallon when he neared her.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but are you headed into the Korcari Wilds soon?"

"I believe so… why?"

"There is a flower, its quite rare, but I need it if I am to save this mabari. He ingested some Darkspawn blood and the only way to save him is for me to have this flower. Its white, with a red center. Please. His owner died and I would hate for him to die as well, he is a very good dog." With that the man wandered off into the encroaching darkness.

"Hmmm…" Daveth muttered.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, just a story my mother told me once."

"And you just started thinking about it?"

"Well it was about a magical flower that grew in the Wilds. Very rare. You could use it to do all sorts of spells and potions. That's why the witches always choose to hide out here, for that flower."

"So…"

"So, the way my mother puts it, that's the reason the Grey Warden's built there fortresses here too."

"I think you are too suspicious for your own good, Ser Daveth." They waited only a few more minutes before Jory and Alistair showed up.

"All of you are ready to go then? Alright, follow me. I want you to listen to all of my commands and follow them to the letter. We will try to get out of there quickly and I'll try to keep us away from as many Darkspawn as I can." The gates opened. Fallon looked out into the untamed wilderness and lost her breath for a moment. After a quiet prayer to the Maker, she set off behind the others.


	4. Blood, Flowers, and Witches

Blood, Flowers and Witches

_August 22nd – Early Morning_

The previous night was one of the scariest Fallon ever lived through. Every shadow was a potential monster and every breath she took could very well be her last. They had eaten their meals without a fire and when they needed to sleep two people were always on watch. Fallon didn't even try to shut her eyes. In those dark hours of terror they didn't see a single darkspawn, not even a dead one.

"How long have you been in the Grey Wardens, Alistair?" Ser Jory asked as they quickly ate a meager breakfast. Fallon's heart had slowed its beating as soon as she saw the sun. There was just something so comforting about its warm glow on her face. Gazing up into the rising light, Fallon noticed a wolf in the distance. It was alone and clearly posed no threat to them. Soris would have cringed at the sight of it, he hated dogs as well, but Fallon always found them majestic. She liked that this one was watching over them.

"I completed my Joining a little less then six months ago."

"Six months! Only six months, how are you going to protect us from the Darkspawn? For all we know we could be headed straight into the horde." Fallon turned her head back at Jory's outburst. He had been saying things like this all night long. It seemed the Knight didn't know what he was getting into when he signed up.

"After you go through the Joining you will understand, but I promise you the Darkspawn won't surprise us."

"You hear that Ser Knight, we may still die, but we'll be warned about it first." Daveth said, giving Fallon a wink as he did. She smiled.

"Yes, let's head out." Alistair commanded as he motioned for them to pack up camp. Fallon turned back to see if the wolf was still there, but it had gone, likely scared away by Jory's bellowing.

"Are you alright? You looked like you were going to be sick last night." A hand quickly tapped her on the shoulder and Fallon turned to see that Alistair was the one speaking. His face looked slightly worn from staying up the majority of the night but it still shined with bright energy. Fallon hadn't recognized it yesterday but the man was probably not much older then she, twenty-one at the most.

"I'm not falling Alistair, there is no need to rescue me." He smiled at the mention of his previous joke and extended a hand to help her to her feet. She graciously accepted.

"I've never been in charge of a group before. How do you think I'm doing?" He asked nervously as Fallon tucked bits of hair that had fallen loose back into the knot on the back of her head.

"Quite well, I wouldn't have guessed."

"Good…good. I'm not really fond of this leadership thing…." He smiled at her, grabbed his pack and led the way. "Alright lets get going…"

Hours past as they slowly made their way to the location Duncan had marked on the map. The Korcari Wilds, however, decided to make things difficult, blocking former paths and causing them to take a roundabout route to the treaties. They had just rounded a hill and were surrounded on all sides by debris, trees and ruins when Alistair faltered in his precise steps. Fallon turned to her side in time to see him tense up, light brown eyes glazed slightly as he looked into the distance at nothing.

"Darkspawn!" was all he got out before the beasts rounded the corner. The first one Fallon saw was short and stocky. Its head was shiny and completely bare of all but its grey ruddy skin. Its ears were pointed and its mouth widened into an unnaturally large grin, exposing sharp, jagged teeth. It was clothed in hodgepodge armor and if Fallon hadn't seen it moving she would have assumed it was something dead and rotting. The second one was far more frightening then the first. It was taller then any man she had ever seen, with mottled grey skin and lidless dark eyes. Its sharp teeth were perpetually exposed in an unfortunate grimace that split the face in half. It had no hair either but its head wasn't quite as domed as the first one's. There were five total, three small and two tall ones. Fallon felt her feet freeze in place, hands uselessly holding the pommel of her still holstered weapons. Alistair's yell woke her from her stupor.

"ATTACK!" He rushed forward, beating one of the tall one's back with his shield while thrusting his sword into the face of a small one. Jory and Daveth, who had also been stuck in shock, rushed forward as they saw Fallon advance.

Fallon considered herself unlucky and this was confirmed for her when the second Tall-One chose her as it's opponent. It grabbed a sword from its back, large, menacing, and jagged, and rushed toward her. Fallon stood her ground, too proud to run away or ask for help and took out her weapons, thinking back to all the practices with her mother. She knew the moves, she knew how to fight… _You'll be fine, just breathe_…So she did just that and ran to meet the monstrosity before it took her off guard.

She sliced both blades a moment too soon and hit nothing but air. Needing time to recover, Fallon ducked to the side, rolling out of the way of an oncoming thrust. As the darkspawn stabbed at her again, Fallon used her sword to block, digging her dagger into the creature's neck. It howled with pain as it fell, and the elf could hardly believe the battle was so quickly won. Digging a vial from her pouch, she quickly held it up to the gaping wound where a trickle of blood still ran.

"Good… see we survived that. Wasn't too bad now was it, Ser Jory?" Alistair asked as he wiped the darkspawn blood from his sword. "If you all get your blood then we can be on our way. We'll try to get back to Ostagar before nightfall."

"I don't know if I can do this. I have a wife, I have a child." Jory muttered to himself as he fumbled with the glass vial. He dropped it on the ground repeatedly, losing any blood he collected. Fallon stepped up beside him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"You've already done it. The Darkspawn should be the ones scared." She knelt beside him and helped get the blood in the container. The poor Knight's hands were trembling.

Once his vial was full, Fallon returned to the monster she had killed. It was taller then a human man and yet she, a woman elf, had slain it. She wished the ration soldier could see her now, but then his eyes were probably still swollen shut.

"Its called a Hurlock, and the smaller ones are Genlock. These five are just grunts, not properly trained or armored, probably got separated from the horde." Alistair said as he pointed to the darkspawn.

"Are there more kinds then these?"

"Yes, unfortunately. Now I've never ran into any of these myself but I've had to learn a great deal about them. Lets see if I can remember. There are…Alphas, they are the strongest darkspawn, ….then….oh what are those ones called… the Emissaries. Those are the tricky ones, magic Darkspawn, very dangerous. Um, then you've got to watch out for any creatures that have been exposed to Darkspawn too long. Wolves, birds, bears and even people, turn into Tainted versions of themselves and serve these monsters."

"Are we in any danger?"

"Well of course we're in danger Fallon, but not from that. It takes prolonged exposure. You don't turn into a Ghoul overnight. There have got to be lots of Darkspawn and no where for you to hide. I don't think I'm forgetting any… well if I am we'll find out soon enough." He started to walk away and Fallon couldn't help but smile. His voice was always chipper and sweet, as if he had just gotten done laughing from the best joke he ever heard. Her smiling gaze followed him as he walked over to reassure Jory, and caught on a single flower growing on a rotting log. It was the one that man in Ostagar had described, with white petals and a red center. As she walked close to it, the smell from the log overpowered the subtle sweetness of the flower, causing Fallon to turn her head away from the moldy mess as she picked the delicate bloom. Once removed, she wrapped it in a thin bit of cloth and placed it carefully in her pack. It would most likely be crushed from battle but she completed the little ritual anyway. It was an important flower after all. As they started to move on, Fallon turned once more to see a wolf watching. It could not have been the same one from before, they had traveled a great distance, but still there was something familiar about it. There eyes locked for a moment before the animal turned and ran back into the woods. Fallon turned back to her companions as well.

_August 22nd – Afternoon_

A bolt of blue light hit Fallon in the stomach and she felt like her veins were on fire, magic crept up from the initial injury through her body like roots. She fought the pain as she got to her feet. _Physical pain is just in the mind, Fallon. You have the strength to overpower it._ Her mother had said these words to her once when she was quite young. A door had closed on her fingers, breaking it in two different places. She thought she would die from the pain, but her mother distracted her, telling jokes and stories until the initial sharpness of it dulled. She stood unsteady on her feet, biting her lip absentmindedly and drawing a bit of blood.

They were standing at the opening of the white marble buildings that once held the treaties. Formally glorious in architecture, the majesty of it had crumbled as nature began consuming it. Vines crawled up the previously pristine walls and the Darkspawn embellishments scared its hilly grounds. They had not been expecting such a high number and Daveth had already fallen at the hands of the Emissary. Alistair was locked in battle with an Alpha Hurlock, a hulking monstrosity with fine armor likely stolen from a human general long ago. Jory had his hands full dispatching the archers that Daveth hadn't gotten to before he was knocked down. Pain spread across her chest and Fallon knew there was only one way to stop it. The Emissary thought he had killed her and had turned his attention on Alistair. Before he finished whatever spell he was conjuring, Fallon lunged forward, blade in hand, and stabbed him in the back. Grabbing up one of the darkspawn's bow and a few greasy arrows, she turned toward the Alpha, whose armor she doubted she could penetrate. Fingertip lightly on the string, bow notched properly and arms straight, she let an arrow fly. The string wacked her hard in the arm as it sent the bow on the wrong course. She had been aiming for the beast's head, but hit it in the knee joint. However, the thing was distracted enough for Alistair to get his finishing blow. The battle was done.

"Hey I thought elves were supposed to be good archers." Daveth said as he got to his feet, whatever spell that had knocked him out dying when the Emissary did.

"Stereotype, as you can see, some Elves are just awful at shooting."

"Know what you mean. Everyone always paints us Chasind as lowlife thieves. Just cause I am doesn't mean we all are."

"Is anyone injured? I have some poultices in my pack if you need…" Alistair asked; sweat welling up into beads on his forehead. He sounded slightly out of breath.

"Nothing we can't stomach,." Jory said as he joined the group near the entrance of the building.

"We should hurry. With the amount of noise we just made I'm sure a few more darkspawn are headed this way." Fallon said as she gestured to the entrance way.

"Ladies first." Alistair said, smiling. Fallon rolled her eyes and headed toward a large broken chest she could see in the back. The other three followed behind her, exchanging stories about the previous battle.

The chest was stone, heavy and thick, and split straight down the center, Fallon didn't need to rifle through it to see that whatever documents they were searching for were no long there. A sultry female voice rang out over the men talking. Fallon turned to see a dark haired woman, beautiful and frightening with hardly any clothing and bright yellow eyes, walking down the steps toward them. The men grew silent.

"Well, well. What have we here? Are you a scavenger, I wonder? Poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned? Or merely an intruder, come into these darkspawn-filled Wilds of mine in search of easy prey? What say you, scavenger or intruder?" Her eyes were on Fallon, ignoring the others in the group with a scowl crossing her strikingly beautiful face. The others didn't speak so Fallon did.

"Neither, we are from the Grey Warden's who once owned this tower." The woman's clothes were practically non existent. A dark purple hooded tunic barely covered her shapely body. Thin black sting and a thick gold necklace kept the woman from exposing herself. Her lower half was covered by roughly sewn together leather and boots.

"The Wilds have obviously claimed this desiccated corpse. Now, I have watched your progress for some time. 'Where do they go?' I wondered. 'Why are they here?' And now you disturb ashes none have touched for so long. Why is that?" She crossed her arms casually. Fallon knew she must be some sort of mage, no one else would be so flippant and at ease around four heavily armed soldiers.

"Don't answer her," Alistair loudly whispered to Fallon, "She looks Chasind and that means others could be nearby."

"So you fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?"

"Yes, swooping is bad."

"She's a Witch of the Wilds, she is. She'll turn us into toads." Daveth said, clearly fearful for the first time since they began their excursion.

"Witch of the Wilds? Such idle fancies, those legends? You there, elf, tell me your name and I will tell you mine. We can at least be civilized."

"I am Fallon, and you… you were the wolf that was following us."

"Very good, you are clever I see. You may call me Morrigan."

"A shapeshifter?" Daveth whispered under his breath, all color draining from his face.

"Shall I guess your purpose? You sought something in that chest, something that is hear no longer?"

"Here no longer? You stole them didn't you? You're…some kind of… sneaky… witch thief!"

"How very eloquent. How does one steal from dead men?"

"Quite easily, it seems. Those documents were Grey Warden property and I suggest you return them."

"I will not for 'twas not I who removed them."

"Then who removed them Morrigan?" Fallon asked pleasantly.

" My mother. And if you wish, I can take you too her."

"Those documents are important Alistair, I say we go get them." She said to their commander as the group huddled together to discuss.

"I agree, although I don't like it one bit." He glanced at the fearful Daveth and added a shake of his head.

"Come along Grey Wardens. I don't have all day." Morrigan smiled and walked along leisurely as the Grey Wardens recognized they had no choice but to follow.


	5. The One Alistair Forgot

The One Alistair Forgot

_August 23__rd__- Late Night_

Fallon was snuggled deep into her bedroll, crying softly for the deaths of Jory and Daveth. She was normally not inclined to weep but they had both been good men.

It had been a long evening, starting with Morrigan's mysterious mother protecting the treaties. She resembled Morrigan slightly, although wherever the dark haired beauty's skin was smooth, she was wrinkled. Daveth claimed they were Witches of the Wild, and although Fallon could tell they were indeed witches, she wasn't quite sure if they were the stuff of legends. She hadn't personally heard these tales, but doubted that if Morrigan's mother was such a powerful sorceress she would be dressed as a peasant. Her thoughts drifted from the forest and went instead to the unpleasantness of Joining they endured that night.

Fallon thought the vial of darkspawn blood would simply be tokens they must keep at all times, perhaps a ward that repelled the monsters. Instead they were forced to ingest it. This is how the Grey Warden's got their powers, drinking the Taint so they could sense Darkspawn, who could in turn sense them. It seemed like a high price to pay for such a slight ability, since drinking the blood could be fatal and, for Daveth, it had been. Jory, however, had been killed by Duncan as she and Alistair looked on in horror. He refused to drink and drew his weapon. In a matter of seconds, Duncan's dagger was plunged deep into the man's belly, with only a simple whisper of apology.

She had survived the Joining and been carried, half-conscious, to tent for rest, but she didn't feel like resting now. Her mind was aflame with contempt for Duncan. Jory had a wife, and an unborn child. He was afraid and all he wanted was to go home, but Duncan had taken that from him. Her red tresses re-bound on her head, armor re-donned, tears dried, and weapons sheathed at her back, Fallon left the comfort of her tent, searching for answers.

As she looked around camp for Duncan, she decided to check on the mabari she helped earlier in the evening. The Kennel Master had been so incredibly thankful for her retrieving the elusive flower that he gave her some silver for her trouble, before scampering off to create a concoction that could save the dog. When Fallon arrived back at the cages, neither the dog nor the kennel master was there. A silver cup, similar to the one she just drank out of for the Joining, sat in the back of the cage with a dark black liquid spilling out of it. She leaned closer to it, trying to figure out what it was in the darkness, but her investigation was interrupted.

"The mabari are fine creatures, are they not?" A noble voice said behind her as she inspected the kennel. It was Duncan. "Warriors graced with both human intelligence and animal compassion. A very good mix."

"Duncan. About…"

"I know. Jory was a fine man, but I told him there would be no turning back. When he pulled his sword I had no choice."

"You could have wounded him, knocked him unconscious, disarmed him. There were thousands of choices before killing him." Her eyes shone with fervor as the wind picked up.

"Perhaps you believe so. I do not. "He ended his sentence with such abruptness that at first Fallon thought that he would continue. After a moment or two of silence, she tried to persist, but was interrupted yet again. This time by the King of Ferelden.

"Your Majesty, what may I do for you?" Duncan asked as Fallon bowed her head in respect.

"Duncan, I require your attendance at the strategy discussion. Teryn Loghain Mac Tir and a representative of the Mage's, Uldred I believe, will be there and I need the Grey Wardens' leader present."

"I would be honored, Your Majesty."

"And you… Fallon was it? I would be pleased to have the newest recruit there as well. You are the future of your order, after all."

"I… of course…Your Majesty." Fallon's face blushed violently when Cailan addressed her, despite the cooling breeze.

"Good, then I will see you both shortly." He left with his three guards trailing close behind.

"It is a high honor to have the King request your attendance, Fallon. There will only be four others present, myself included."

"I wonder why he has so much faith in me. I doubt that I will even see that much battle."

"Cailan has faith in all Grey Wardens. Poor boy would have joined the Order if he had a choice."

"Why didn't he have a choice?"

"Grey Wardens can have no titles and hold no office. If he had run off with the Grey Wardens then Maric would be without an heir."

"Duncan! I needed to speak to….Fallon? You're up? Are you feeling better?" Alistair approached them from where Cailan had exited. He was dressed in simple nightclothes, clearly something was bothering him too.

"There will be time to exchange pleasantries later, Alistair. Fallon and I are on our way to the strategy meeting with the king."

"Well that's what I came to speak to you about. Early reports indicate that the horde is advancing on this location as we speak, though there have been no signs of the ArchDemon."

"Then we must not tarry any longer. I'll inform the king. Alistair meet me in the Grey Wardens camp after the meeting."

"Yes Duncan….Fallon. Good to see you are feeling better." He nodded in her direction, giving her a silly smile as he left. It eased her trepidation knowing there was someone else almost as new to this as she was.

_August 24__th__ – Early Morning_

"Your love of legends will be your undoing, Cailan." Loghain said bitterly as he and the King quarreled back and forth over battle strategy. Duncan and Fallon stood behind the large wooden table completely silent. The recruit felt frightfully out of place beside the greatest leaders of her time, but was too afraid to excuse herself from their presence. She had been trying hard not to listen to the bickering for several hours and couldn't help wondering why the king had asked her to be there in the first place since he simply referred to her once then resumed his business.

"Excuse me, Elf" Someone whispered beside her. Fallon turned to see it was the mages representative, Ul-something. She didn't feel bad for forgetting his name though, since he had forgotten hers as well. "I wonder if you hail from the Denerim Alienage? You don't look Dalish…"

"I do, as a matter of fact. Why do you ask?"

"I left the Circle a short time ago and received news of a rebellion by the Alienage elves there. I thought, since you have been on the road so long, you likely didn't know."

"A rebellion? In Denerim? Do you know what the cause was?" She was concerned now. Shianni didn't know when to get her nose out of other peoples business and Soris never knew when to put his nose in it.

"No, I don't. Such a topic wasn't of much interest to me. I simply thought I would share the information." Uldred said with a sneer on his face as he glanced at her pointy ears.

"Well thank you. I'll try to return to Denerim as soon as I can."

"Things are changing in Ferelden, its in the air. Maybe it started with the Blight but it won't end there. Oh no, things are about to change drastically…" He smiled slightly and, unsure of what else to say, Fallon simply turned back to Duncan and the table they were facing.

"We'll need our very best on the job… send Alistair and Fallon to light the beacon, leading Loghain's troops into battle. It will be glorious." Cailan announced to Duncan, eyes slightly glazed. Fallon suddenly wished she hadn't turned to address the bald headed mage.

"Yes, my liege." Duncan responded quite formally.

"Right then, prepare for battle. The Darkspawn shall be here soon." Fallon followed Duncan out the door, thoroughly wishing now that she had been paying attention to the end of the meeting. She wasn't sure what her job entailed but hoped that whatever it was, there would be lots of action involved.

"We aren't going to be in the battle?" Alistair said thoroughly dejected with Duncan broke the news to him.

"The Wardens help in whatever fashion they can."

"I agree with Alistair, we should be fighting beside you. A simple servant could light that fire."

"Be that as it may, the King has requested you two."

"Fine but if the King asks me to put on a gold dress and dance the Remigold, that's where I'm drawing the line."

"I actually might like to see that."

"Well for you….maybe."

"I need you both to head toward the Tower of Ishal immediately. You need to be ready to light the beacon and signal Loghain's men to charge the field."

"Why two of us?" Fallon asked. "Wouldn't one person be enough? Or do you want us to walk hand in hand the whole way and hold the torch together?" She asked with a snide-ness in her voice she wasn't accustomed too.

"You have just become a Grey Warden Fallon, do not forget that. You know nothing of battle. And, although I am confident in your abilities, you received minimal warrior training in the Alienage. Now you will become an excellent Warden, but this is not to be your battle. Alistair. You have had training but I need someone to help and guide our newest recruit. Please do this for me."

"I don't need help, Duncan." She said quite childishly, both arms crossed at her chest.

"Perhaps not, but I'd rather you had it available to you and never needed it, then require help and can't find it." His words were true but Fallon was still quite upset about being dressed down in front of Alistair.

"Where will you be?" Fallon asked, eager to get this night over so she could finally discuss Jory with the senior Grey Warden.

"With the King and the other Grey Wardens. Now hurry." He said as a horn blew, signally the first sign of darkspawn in the distance.

"May the Maker watch over you, Duncan." Alistair whispered solemnly.

"May He watch over us all."

Duncan jogged off toward the battle as Alistair and Fallon quickly got their gear in order. Another horn blew in the distance and they sped up their pace.

"I'm not so bad am I?" Alistair asked with incredible sincerity as he helped Fallon tighten her scabbard strap.

"Not at all. I like you Alistair, I just wish I could be a more important role in all this. This is probably going to be a turning point for this entire war and I have to run along and light a fire, like a good little elf…. Sorry. I'm just a bit frustrated."

"So…what your saying is….you like me?" She could stop herself from chuckling slightly as they finished their preparations and took off.

Fallon led the way through the practically deserted camp. The soldiers, Grey Wardens, mages, and clergy women were now on the battlefield, congregated at a small choke point the Darkspawn would need to funnel through to get into the rest of Ferelden. The plan for attack was perfect and as the two Wardens trotted along, Fallon felt no fear.

That is until they reached the bridge that connected the Ostagar camp to the Tower of Ishal. She had never been one for heights but that wasn't what caused Fallon's skin to crawl and blood to pump ferociously. Amongst the din of soldiers gathered below the bridge she could make out another sound, drums and growls in the darkness.

"That them, isn't it? Fallon asked Alistair as she paused beside a focused archer to gaze out over the battlefield.

"That's the horde. I hope Duncan will be alright."

"He'll be fine. They all wil…" Her sentence was interrupted as a giant flaming ball came hurtling toward them. She and Alistair dove to the left but the archer they had been standing beside wasn't so lucky. What hadn't been burned to smolders was crushed beneath the weigh of the large object. Fallon felt sick as the aroma of charred flesh reached her nostrils. Alistair patted her on the shoulder and helped her to her feet. He gave her one stern look straight in the eyes to help knock her out of her horror.

"Come on." She said to Alistair as she ran across the bridge's expanse. This was war, this was real war, and she was in the center of it. She had just seen that man die. He could have been anyone. Perhaps this was his first time on the field, or maybe he was a seasoned warrior, either way….dead….just like that. Bits of stone sent from distant catapults were thrown through the air toward the bridge they occupied and suddenly Fallon didn't feel like their job was the least dangerous. At least on the field you could face your opponent.

They made it across, but barely. A second flaming boulder had struck one of the ballistas on the bridge, shattering it and raining down huge wooden splinters at alarming speeds. One soldier got one in the leg and his screams ushered them off quickly.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Alistair chuckled, slightly out of breath, "Now all we need to do is run up several stories and light a bloody beacon at the very top…. That isn't too difficult."

"Not too difficult for me perhaps, but you sound like you're half dead already."

"Ha, not dead yet, I'm afraid. The darkspawn will have to throw more at me then a few stones."

There was a small semblance of a camp on this side of Ostagar as well, but no where near as sprawling as the first, and the Grey Wardens spent the first few moments dodging tents and stands as they approached the large granite tower. Then they heard a high pitched scream.

"That's... much too close to be on the battlefield isn't it?" Alistair asked, to which Fallon responded with a quick nod. She took a step back allowing Alistair, as her superior, to lead. He seemed to do so grudgingly and it wasn't long before the two saw what the problem was.

"Darkspawn!" Fallon announced when they rounded a corner to see a few hurlocks hacking away at some guards. She almost thought that she could feel a slight twinge in her gut before she saw them but couldn't be certain it wasn't just nerves. Withdrawing a longsword and dagger, she set to work on the lot of them.

It wasn't a very long battle as there were a few guards still alive to help out, but it was very troubling. They stood before the Tower of Ishal, where no Darkspawn was supposed to have reached, but here they were. Every few minutes some more would rush in to replace those that had fallen. Fallon knew that they were tunneling creatures but was still stunned when she saw a rogue crawl up from the dirt behind Alistair. It made a move to stab him in the back while he was distracted with a Hurlock Alpha. With speed she didn't know possible, Fallon charged at the creature, tackling it to the ground. It lay on its face for a few seconds before she ran it through, hopping back to her feet to see that the battle was done.

"Did you just tackle a Darkspawn for me?" Alistair said with a grin, using a rag from his backpack to wipe the blood off his face. "You might be a good person to have around."

The three remaining guards were sent to Loghain's troops to tell him that the Darkspawn had taken over the Tower. The two Grey Wardens decided to head in on their own, refusing the offer of help from a passing mage and soldier on their way to battle. A smaller group would be able to sneak by unnoticed a lot easier, and they wanted to avoid confrontation wherever possible.

When they entered the tower together they were shocked to see the Darkspawn had already integrated themselves so well. Skulls, pikes, and other various Darkspawn embellishments, were fully arrayed around their designated camp areas. Fallon wondered why they would bring decorations with them if they were soulless, perhaps to intimidate. They hid behind a few barrels of forgotten ale as a band of the beasts went by. Alistair pointed to where they were headed and motioned for her to try to stay quiet. They both kept their weapons at the ready and slowly made their way toward the stairs, praying they didn't attract the attention of the large Darkspawn army gathered inside.

The two hid whenever possible and only risked killing the odd scout or guard they would come across whose back was alone. Neither were accustomed to sneaking, and Fallon in particular found it difficult to be stealthy and assassinate the things with ease. Twice she was responsible for the killing blow and fumbled slightly during her approach. Stealth was much more difficult then the various pickpockets of Denerim let on. She preferred the less deceitful ways of killing.

Finally, they made it to the stairway, and both breathed a deep sigh of relief as they closed the door behind them and began ascending.

"What's going on? The darkspawn aren't supposed to be here." Alistair said with a mixture of confusion and anger as he walked beside the elf warden.

"Maybe you should tell them that." She smiled, wiping some sweat from her brow. The closed staircase was very warm.

"You're right. Clearly this is all just a big misunderstanding." He smiled at her as well. "They'll be less on this level, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to avoid them as well as we did before."

"I'm ready for a fight Alistair. There is no need to try to protect me."

"You? Oh no, dear lady, I was only thinking about myself." They reached the second door and he slowly pushed it open. "Well you wanted a fight…" The room was filled with idle darkspawn. Fallon rolled her eyes at Alistair's comment and rushed headlong into the brawl. This was how fighting should be.

They climbed the final staircase with incredible speed, knowing full well that they were a few minutes late. Loghain needed the beacon to know when to charge, and the King's Army need Loghain. It was a lot of pressure for two people. As they opened the great double doors, Fallon saw a hulking monstrosity in the darkness. It was at least 15 feet tall, with huge twisted horns and a sharp grimace. It stared at them with hunger and Fallon wondered how such a massive creature could get through the tower in the first place.

"Oh…right." Alistair said as he withdrew his weapon.

"Right what?"

"That's the one that I forgot…. when I was telling you about darkspawn earlier. " The thing charged at them with its horns like a raging bull and the two were forced to jump apart.

"What is it?" Fallon asked as she rushed toward it before it recovered, slicing at its ankle hoping to damage a tendon. Some black, foul blood was spilled but the creature's muscles were too thick. She jumped aside again as it swung at her.

"An ogre. They are the strongest of the Darkspawn." He used his shield to deflect a glancing blow the ogre threw at him, still it knocked him off his feet. Fallon rushed toward the creature's enormous hand and impaled it on her sword as it reached for Alistair. It recoiled and he got up again.

"This one seems like the most memorable to me. Didn't anything they taught you in Grey Warden school stick?" She thrust her sword deep into the Ogre's thigh as Alistair tried to do the same on the other side. They wanted it to fall so they could stab it in the heart. Neither had spoken these plans but they just felt it. Fallon liked how they worked together.

"Course it did. I still remember how to use fire to light beacons, and so far that's the only job we've …" Alistair was cut off as the Ogre picked him up in one hand. His shield was still on his arm, protecting his chest from the monster's fearful grip, but he had lost his sword in the creature's thigh.

"Alistair!" Fallon shouted. The Ogre swatted her away with its hand, sending her sprawling several feet into a wall. Her body ached but she got up again, with a dagger as her only weapon. The Ogre sought to crush the life out of Alistair and it was doing a good job. As Fallon ran toward the hearth in the far corner she heard the loud crack of a bone breaking. Grabbing a flaming torch from the fireplace, she sent it skidding across the floor toward the Ogre's exposed legs. The flames distracted the creature as Fallon retrieved her sword and jumped wildly onto the arm that held Alistair, digging her blade into it.

The grip on Alistair was loosened and he used the hand as leverage as he jumped onto the monster's chest. Fallon threw him her sword as she continued to stab the ogre with her dagger. Alistair plunged it into the thing's chest. It bellowed once, and then fell, extinguishing the flames beneath it.

"Quick, light the beacon." Alistair said, but Fallon was already on her way. She grabbed another torch and set it to a deep brazier on the far side. It glowed with a bright intensity, and from the elf's viewpoint she could see the rest of Denerim's troops.

"Yes! We did it. The Blight is over." Alistair spoke in pained tones as he withdrew his sword from the beast's leg. He moved oddly when he walked and breathed very slowly. "Did you see how I killed the Ogre?"

"Oh no, mister, don't you take all the credit. I just saved you from being crushed." She leaned against the window, staring out over the field waiting for Teryn Loghain to issue his commands.

"Hardly, I've got at least one broken rib. What were you doing while I was up there? Forging yourself a new sword?"

"And roasting a goose over the open fire… hope you don't mind, but I already finished it."

"Ah, bones and all I see." Alistair chuckled slightly but Fallon didn't hear his joke. She was staring at the mass that was Loghain's forces. They were peppered here and there with torch bearers, who were instructed to drop the flames when they were called into battle. They didn't drop them. Instead they were walking away, away from Ostagar and the battle, the troops with them.

"What is it, Fallon?" Alistair said as he walked to the window, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the darkness outside. "Are they….are they leaving?" She didn't answer before Alistair stormed toward the door. "We need to get out there and stop them. Or at least warn the kin…" He opened the door and to his surprise was thrown back by a Hurlock. Fallon fumbled for her sword but felt three sharp pinpricks in her chest. Looking down she saw they were arrows. She fell.

"Fallon!" Alistair called to her as he tried to push back the darkspawn archers. He received an arrow in the shoulder, fell onto his back. Fallon started to lose consciousness as she felt poison worm its way into her body from the arrowheads. She held her weapons close to her, felt the familiar coldness of Nelaros' ring, and said a prayer to the Maker.

_At least I'll be with my mother_, she thought as darkness enveloped her.


	6. Making Waves

Making Waves

_August 31st - Mid Morning_

There was screaming from every direction. Fallon tried to sit up but felt that she was tied down. Bindings cut into her wrists. She turned her head to her right and saw Soris lying unconscious on a stone table. The coolness against her back indicated that she was on a similar table. To her left she saw Shianni, who was not unconscious but struggling against her bonds violently.

"Shianni tell me what happened!" Her cousin stopped and looked at her, tears streaming from her eyes.

"They captured us. Uncle Cyrion is dead, I don't know what they did to Soris." A pit of pain erupted in Fallon's subject as she thought of her father being gone, but she pushed it aside for a brief moment. Now was not the time to cry.

"Who are 'they' Shianni? Last thing I remember is being at Ostagar…"

"Ostagar yes. The three of us came after you. But by the time we got here the creatures were…"

"Darkspawn, the Darkspawn have got us?" She was trying to figure out what was the last thing that had occurred before she lost consciousness.

"Evil dark creatures, but I don't know what they are. They tortured Soris and…." A sound of approaching footsteps caused Fallon to turn her head. From a door she hadn't seen before, or perhaps hadn't noticed, a group of tall armed hurlocks walked in. One walked apathetically up to the unconscious Soris and thrust its sword into his chest, twisting it unceremoniously. Fallon screamed his name but before she could gather her thoughts the other darkspawn were at Shianni's side. They pulled the girl's bindings away and began carrying her out the door and into the dark tunnel that lay beyond it. Fallon could hear her screams echoing off the walls. She turned to see Soris in the same condition he was in before, with the addition of a gaping hole where his heart should have been.

"Shianni! Don't worry, I'll get you out of there!" As she spoke, a red light began glowing in the tunnel. It grew brighter and brighter, until a column of flames erupted out of it and enveloped the Warden.

Her eyes sprung open.

It was just a dream. Her eyes began adjusting and Fallon saw that she wasn't with the Darkspawn at all. Instead she was lying in a small fur covered cot inside a poorly constructed wooden shack. The roaring fire in the hearth hardly combated the chilly winds that snuck in through all the various cracks and crevices. A dark figure entered her peripheral vision and Fallon tried to scramble to her feet.

"Relax, dear Warden. I am not here to harm you. It is pleasant to see that you have awoken. I was sure you would succumb to your injuries." The dark haired human's voice was melodic and soothing, but Fallon still found this whole thing disturbing. She was trying to remember her last memory.

"The poison might cloud your mind for awhile, but it will pass."

"Poison? Oh…." She looked down at her bandaged chest and remembered the Battle of Ostagar. Peeling back the bandage closest to her hand she saw a large scar on her previously unmarred skin. It was long and jagged, partially from a serrated arrowhead and partially from the necessary surgery to remove it.

"Your friend will be quite glad to see you have woken."

"Friend? Do you mean Alistair? He's alright?"

"The pathetic dimwitted one, yes. His injuries were not as extensive. He's been languishing about the place for quite some time now. I'll be glad to be rid of him."

"Quite some time? How long was I out?" Her eyes were clearing and she recognized the woman. This was Morrigan, the shapeshifter they had met in the Wilds. How she managed to rescue them was another question entirely.

"A week. The arrows were deep and the poison was already working against you. However, we did manage to reverse the effects."

"Thank you, Morrigan, but how did we get here. Last I remember we were in the tower."

"I…you are welcome. As for the rescue, I can not claim involvement. My mother retrieved you and your friend using her own magic. Although I could scarcely understand why. It seems a king would hold a much higher ransom." Fallon couldn't understand why either. She was nothing. An elf who also just happened to survive the Joining. Not worth a daring rescue. But then again, maybe she wasn't the one they were after. She knew practically nothing about Alistair, perhaps he was worth the risk.

"The king and the rest of the army? What happened to them?"

"The lucky ones are dead. Your friend isn't taking it very well."

"And the Grey Wardens?" Fallon said already knowing the answer.

"You are the only two left alive in Ferelden." The magnitude of that statement hung in the air for several minutes as Fallon tried to comprehend it. They were the only two in the entire country, and the Blight wasn't over like Cailan had assumed it would be. Then her mind went to Duncan, his skull probably decorating some darkspawn spike somewhere. Her head swam, stomach turned over, but this time it wasn't from the poison. She took a moment to catch her breath, during which time Morrigan gazed at her uninterested.

"So…. Does your mother wish to speak to me then?"

Fallon exited the hut to find a harsh wind blowing from the southeast. There were no Darkspawn nearby, nor any clues of their proximity but Fallon was already starting to get the feelings that were associated with the Joining. She could sense that they were far away, kept at bay by something unseen, but they were there. And the most disturbing thing was that they could sense her too. She could feel them, watching. A splashing sound distracted her from the terrifying creatures and Fallon turned to see Alistair. His back was turned and he was busy throwing stones into a pond. She approached quietly but cleared her throat to let him know she was there. He turned his head slightly.

There was a brief moment of hesitation, and puzzlement, upon seeing each other. Alistair had one hand still raised with a stone in his hand. During this short pause Fallon tried to think of what to say. The man was likely upset that she would have been the one saved and not his other longtime Warden friends, not his beloved mentor. She couldn't offer any answers as to why she had been the one to survive and decided that this was what she would tell him when Alistair pulled her into a hug, laughing.

"You're alive. Thank the Maker, I thought you were dead for sure." Fallon had never been much of a hugger. Her father was, Soris was, and it seems that Alistair was too, so maybe men in general just liked to hug. In spite of her aversion to it, Fallon did not recoil. She was so glad that he was alive as well that she embraced him like a long lost friend.

"Oh… I'm… I'm sorry, just got carried away." He said as he pulled out of the embrace.

"No, it's quite alright Alistair. I'm happy you are alive too. So, what were you doing?"

"This? Oh, just skipping stones. I used to do it a lot when I lived in Redcliffe, got quite good at it, but it seems all my years in Templar training made me somehow lose the knack for it. Had to figure out something to do, you were half dead for several days."

"Skipping stones?" Fallon couldn't help but ask. The Amaranthine River ran straight through the Alienage and, as children, she and Soris would collect large rocks and toss them into the water to make splashes. She had assumed that Alistair was doing something similar, even if it was a bit childish.

"You don't know what skipping stones means? Well Fallon, if Morrigan's mother decides to let us go and not hold us for ransom, I promise that I will take you to Redcliffe and teach you how to do it. This pond here just isn't big enough." They both dropped into silence when this playful and light conversation stopped, neither wanting to talk about what had happened and what they were going to do, but neither of them knowing what else to say.

"I'm sorry about Duncan. " Fallon finally said, picking up a stone and tossing it into the pond with a loud splash.

"So am I. I can't believe he's gone. I can't believe they are all gone." He shook his head sadly, looking at the ripples stretching out from the impact point in the pond. He seemed mesmerized by them because he didn't speak for awhile.

"What are we supposed to do now, Alistair? How are we supposed to stop this?"

"Fight the Archdemon, I guess."

"And how are we supposed to do that? There are only two of us. How about the other Grey Wardens? We could run up to Orlais or the Anderfels, and come back here with reinforcements. "

"But do you know how long it takes to get there, and on foot no less? Even if we were able to get there, the Wardens would have no reason to really believe us. I'm the newest Ferelden Warden and they wouldn't even have record of you, we could be lying about what happened to the other Wardens."

"But what would be our reason for lying?"

"I don't know, take your pick. The Orlesians and Anders Wardens aren't the friendliest people. They would come up with something I'm sure."

"Then what's our plan? We can't just stay here."

"Why are you asking me?" Alistair asked and Fallon was slightly taken aback. Alistair had been awake for four whole days with nothing to do but throw stones and come up with plans. He was the senior Warden now, it was his responsibility. They looked at each other for a moment before Fallon spoke up.

"Because you are in charge…"

"Oh, right." He chucked his final stone into the pond, imitating what Fallon had done earlier. "I don't understand why she picked us."

"Morrigan's mother? I w…." Fallon was about to enter into a tirade about how the world would, once more, be better off without her in it. Thankfully she was stopped by an old woman with gray hair and heavy wrinkles. Morrigan's mother had appeared again, holding something in her hand.

"Do not speak of me as if I'm not present, dear." Fallon blushed as they turned toward her and approached with caution.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

"Elves rarely do, so concerned about staying kind, making no waves. But you are going to make waves aren't you, Warden? You've already started." She gestured at the pond that was still rippling from the stones both wardens had tossed into it. She wasn't sure how to reply.

"Please, you rescued us, could you at least tell us your name?" Alistair asked.

"Names are pretty but useless. The Chasind call me Flemeth, you may address me as such I suppose." The name Flemeth rang a bell but Fallon couldn't remember from where. Alistair, however, recognized it instantly and his face registered surprise.

"Flemeth? From the legends? Daveth was right. You are a witch of the wilds aren't you?"

"I know a bit of magic and it has served you both well, has it not? "

"He meant no offense Flemeth, but why did you save us? Why were we important enough to be rescued?"

"Well… we cannot have all the Grey Wardens die now can we? Besides, we had such a pleasant chat earlier, perhaps I let affection get the better of me." She cackled loudly, throwing her head back in such a way that it was clear this was not the case.

"But why us? There is nothing the two of us can do now." Alistair chimed in. He had been gazing at his boots, kicking up Kocari dirt.

"Why indeed? That is quite a question. However, it has always been the Wardens duty to unite the lands against the Blight. Or did that change when I wasn't looking?" She looked into both of their faces, eyebrows slightly pinched as though she was actually asking a question and it wasn't rhetorical.

"You expect the two of us to unite the lands against the Blight? I'm sorry Flemeth but you plucked the wrong Grey Wardens off that tower. Perhaps you were aiming for someone else." Alistair said, adding to it an uncomfortable and humorless laugh.

"You cannot do it because you say you cannot."

"How are we supposed to unite the lands? The king is dead and Loghain is likely on his way back to Denerim to steal the crown. None of this makes any sense. Why would he do this?" Alistair shook his head and Fallon went to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She touched it briefly as Flemeth replied.

"Now_ that_ is a good question. Perhaps he believes the Blight is an army he can easily defeat. Perhaps he does not see that the evil behind it is the true threat."

"The Archdemon. But there is nothing we can do. We are two people. No Grey Wardens have ever defeated a blight without the armies of several dozen nations."

"Have the Wardens no allies these days?"

"I don't know. Arl Eamon would certainly never stand for this."

"Who is Arl Eamon?" Fallon interrupted the flow of conversation for the first time. She knew that an Arl was a noble, charged with ruling large cities. Arl Urien was the Arl of Denerim but that was as far as her political knowledge went.

"The Arl of Redcliffe and Cailan's uncle. He was not at Ostagar so he would still have his men. I know him, he is a good man. But even with his armies it would still not be enough." He sighed in exasperation, raking his fingers through his dark blonde hair.

"The Wardens have other allies though don't they? What about the papers Duncan sent us to receive?" It took have a second for Fallon's statement to actually register in Alistair's head. Flemeth, on the other hand, continued looking emotionless.

"Of course, the Treaties! They obligate dwarves, mages, elves and other groups to help us during a blight!" He had a wild smile on his face. He looked at Fallon as if he would pull her into another hug, she was glad that he restrained himself.

"Dwarves, elves mages, this Arl Eamon… this sounds like an army to me." Flemeth said in her normal mysterious but uninterested manner.

"So can we actually do this? Can we actually build an army?" Alistair ignored Flemeth's comment and turned to her redheaded companion. He was suddenly so filled with hope and Fallon was glad to have the cheerful pre-Ishal Alistair back.

"We certainly are going to try. Thank you for helping us Flemeth, we are indebted to you." Alistair gave her a look that portrayed his thoughts quite well. He wasn't sure why she was admitting their debt to a crazy witch, but manners were manners, and Fallon couldn't deny their debt.

"And you will be paying it back sooner then you thought." Fallon gave Alistair an uneasy glance to which he simply shrugged and smiled, clearly thinking 'I told you so.' They all stood in silence for a few more seconds, unsure of what to say. Flemeth began to hum a tune to herself, ignoring her guests who shifted uncomfortably on their feet. This didn't last for too long though. When the shack door slammed and Morrigan began calling to them this uncomfortable spell was broken.

"The stew is bubbling Mother, do we have two guests for the eve, or none?"

"The Grey Wardens are leaving girl and you are going with them."

There was a resounding what.

"Her magic will be useful. She knows the Wilds and how to get past the Darkspawn Horde. But most importantly, this will be repayment for your lives. "

"Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but won't this add to our problems. Out of the wilds she is an apostate. The last thing we need is the templars chasing us down." Alistair stated as he looked at Morrigan with a slightly disgusted face. It was because of his background. According to Duncan, Alistair had been raised in the Chantry and was supposed to be a Templar before he was recruited. It seemed that, even if he wasn't a templar any more, he was uncomfortable around apostates.

"If you didn't want help from us _illegal_ mages perhaps I should have left you atop that tower."

"Point taken."

"Mother, this is not how I wanted to leave. I am not even ready." Morrigan went to her mother's side, trying to plead her case without embarrassing herself. This young woman was a very proud creature, and Fallon was trying to figure out what made her that way.

"You must be girl. Without your help the Wardens will surely fail and all will utterly perish." Alistair and Fallon exchanged a look at this, but this time Fallon was the one to shrug in response. They owed Flemeth and if she wanted her daughter to come with them then that's what would happen. It didn't matter how she convinced Morrigan.

"I ….understand."

"Good, now the three of you must move along. I grow tired of this prattle." Without another word Flemeth went back to her hut. Morrigan muttered something about gathering her things and quickly followed her mother. The two Grey Wardens stood in awkward silence for a few moments as they contemplated the weight of what they had to accomplish on their own.

"So…what would be her motivation for that?" Alistair said as he gazed after the two women.

"Flemeth is mysterious to say the least. I have no idea why sh…"

"No, not Flemeth. Morrigan. Did you see her outfit? How in the world does she keep herself warm?" Fallon couldn't help but laugh at the sudden change of topic. She enjoyed this random humor of his. It was light, despite the heaviness of the situation. She hoped this could continue, but he returned to his previously serious demeanor. "I'm sorry about all this Fallon. You never got to really experience what being a Grey Warden is, and now you are just thrust into it without any prior knowledge."

"I'll be fine. You can teach me what I don't already know on the road. And besides, where would you be if Duncan hadn't recruited me? Sitting by the pond and…" She realized that her attempt at a joke had hopelessly backfired. Alistair's face darkened. He withdrew even farther. "I'm… I'm sorry." She muttered but the words couldn't be erased.

"Duncan…" was all he could say.

_August 31st - Afternoon_

Morrigan led the way through the Korcari Wilds, apparently knowing how to maneuver the place while also avoiding the Horde. Alistair and Fallon just followed helplessly as they trudged through mud and muck. The place was a disgusting swamp.

Fallon touched the swords on her back again to be sure that they were still there. Her mother's swords. She had retrieved them from the floor boards at her home only to discover they weren't sharp enough for battle. Duncan had given her different weapons while the twin swords were sharpened. Just when Fallon had resigned herself to the fact that she'd never see them again, Morrigan returned with them in hand.

"When I returned to the field to find the treaties I retrieved these for you. I assume they are yours, as they were in your tent." It was such a simple thing but Fallon decided she liked Morrigan for this act of kindness alone. Sure, the woman declared it was practical, but the elf still valued kindness when she got it. Fallon decided not to let Morrigan's gruff exterior get to her.

They had been traveling through the bog for several hours and, despite her thick leather boots, Fallon's feet were soaked with the stinking swamp water. At that moment all she wanted was a break, but knew they couldn't rest. Darkspawn passed them every once in awhile, unable to see the Wardens and their apostate companion due to a spell Morrigan had woven. It must have been complicated, because as time wore on the already pale mage grew paler, sweat formed on her brow.

"Morrigan, you should rest." Fallon said when she gave the woman some water from her skein.

" Tis large groups of darkspawn about. I do not wish to be eaten; I surmise the same is true for you."

"You look like death. Do circle mages have this much trouble with spells, or is it just the ones who were taught improperly?" Alistair asked as he stretched his arms and back.

"I would not know as I have never been to that prison, nor met a mage. As for the spell, I could turn it off if you wish."

"No, ignore each other for now. Are you sure you don't require a quick rest?" Fallon asked as she cut off a snide reply from Alistair.

"I require nothing. Now lets get moving before the Darkspawn are upon us." Fallon looked at Alistair and gave him an exasperated look, he replied with a simple wink. They set off once more but it was only a few minutes before they were forced to duck behind a hill as a troop of Darkspawn went by. There were several dozen, as far as Fallon got counting, and many had humans being pulled along with them. Some of these humans weren't entirely dead. Alistair whispered loudly beside her.

"That's Edimon." He went to get to his feet when Morrigan grabbed his wrist and forced him to hide again.

"Be still! The spell is not of invisibility, they simply cannot sense you. Get down or you will be seen." She hissed at him in whispers. He yanked his hand from her grasp.

"He's a Grey Warden. We need to rescue him immediately."

"Fool! You will lead us to our deaths with your noble sentiments." Morrigan said as Alistair drew his sword and began to step forward. Fallon stopped him.

"Alistair, think about this first. We are the last Wardens. More people than just Edimon are relying on us. As much as I hate to say this, we can't go rescue those people." And she did hate to say it. The minute she saw them, a few faces she sort of recognized from around Ostagar, Fallon wished she could rush in with her swords and save them. But there were at least fifty darkspawn, and the possibility of more coming. If they saved these people they might as well forfeit their lives, and the lives of thousands of others in Ferelden.

"We can't let him die. Not like this. I order both of you to accompany me in a rescue attempt." Alistair's eyes shown brightly and Fallon could see this wasn't about Edimon, but Duncan. If this Grey Warden was alive others could be.

"What will you have us do Alistair? Return to Ostagar? We can't go back right now. We need to move forward, recruit help."

"If there are people still left alive to save then why shouldn't we go back?"

"Because we will die in the process."

"I never pegged you for a coward Fallon. As your leader, I am ordering you to assist me." His voice was pleading and his eyes betrayed his emotion, complete desperation. He hoped to right whatever wrong he felt he had done in going to the tower of Ishal. Fallon couldn't let him though.

"If our deaths meant nothing I would go, but we cannot. Those people are already dead, and if we rush in then we will just join them. There will be absolutely no one to save Ferelden."

"If you won't come then I will go myself." His voice was defiant and Fallon could see tears beginning to well in his eyes. He wanted answers, he wanted to help. Fallon hated herself for what she had to do.

"No. You will not. Alistair. You can either come with us willingly or Morrigan can force you through magic."

"Oh goody." Morrigan said sarcastically as she wiped sweat from her eyes.

"You cannot force me into anything using magic. I am a templar, we can dispel it." Fallon had forgotten this little tidbit of information, but continued with her argument.

"Tell I will tie you up and prod you across the path with my sword. Either way, you are coming with us." There was a pause as Alistair tried to wrestle with his heart and his brain. It was a painful and equally matched battle so Fallon decided to add to her case. "Besides. I need you, what will I do without you to help me." She hated admitting she needed help from anyone but it seemed this won Alistair over.

"I…" He couldn't speak but put his sword away, looking down at his mud covered boots. Tears spilled silently over onto his cheeks, camouflaged by the swamp water already there. In the distance they could hear screaming begin as unknown atrocities started on the human victims they saw pass. Alistair's face darkened even more. Fallon felt terrible. She wondered if perhaps they could have saved those people after all.

"Is it over? Good. We have much ground to cover before night fall." Morrigan chimed in, leading the way once more through the mud.


	7. The Savior

The Savior

_September 2__nd__, Mid Day _

There was a reason the Korcari Wilds were talked about in legends. There was a reason everyone feared it, invented monsters and evil creatures to occupy its darkest depths, and avoided the place like the Alienage Plague. It was creepy. Not the tame kind of creepy one uses to describe graveyards and abandoned buildings. No, this was the shiver up your spine, always looking over your shoulder, kind of creepy; the kind where you never feel alone and it seems like hostile eyes are always trained on you; where the slightest noise makes a person jump in fear. Fallon could barely sleep when they finally got a few minutes to do so, so frightened that some sort of bog creature would come out of nowhere and drag her down into the muddy depths. She had never been one to frighten easily, but somehow death by mythological bog creatures seemed like an appropriate fear in the Wilds.

The trio had succeeded in avoiding almost all confrontation, having just a handful of small battles during the two days they had been travelling. It took longer, as they were avoiding the main roads, but Morrigan said Lothering was getting closer. It was hard to be cheerful about this news when mud fills your boots.

They were taking a much deserved break after several hours of trekking through the wilderness. The group had stumbled upon a relatively dry clearing, sheltered by some swamp trees. It was comparatively safe, with Morrigan's enchantments still in place, and they were finally able to make a fire and warm up. Fallon cooked up some of their rations while the dark haired witch set out to gather a few herbs and mushrooms to add to the pot. It was a meager lunch but decent enough. As she stirred, Fallon kept an eye on Alistair, who hadn't spoken to either of them except for the occasional grunt or nod. He sat away from the fire, sharpening his sword. Fallon remembered how it felt when her mother was killed, like her whole world was ending. It took a long time for her not to wake up at night, expecting to see the woman's signature red tresses on the pillow next to her father. She had cried for months, and for several years there was a certain sadness when she picked up a sword. But at least she could comfort herself in the fact that she had spent twelve good years with the woman, poor Alistair had only gotten six months.

* * *

As they sat beneath the stars, boiling a vat of chicken and vegetable soup over the campfire, Fallon thought about her family and how much she missed them. Absentmindedly, she twirled Nelaros' ring on her finger. A deep voice broke her concentration.

"Did your mother give you that ring?" Duncan asked, stirring the soup.

"No," Fallon said as she ceased twirling it. She paused for a moment before speaking again. "How well did you know my mother?"

"Not very well. I met her shortly before she was to be married. She showed promise to be a great Grey Warden and I wanted to recruit her into our order but Valendrian talked me out of it. Since there was no Blight at the time I was in no hurry to recruit and let her go. I am thankful I did." He added with a nod in her direction. Recently Fallon had raised their conversation level to strained, with the occasional awkward silence. It was slightly better than her completely ignoring him.

"It's nice to know that she was actually a good fighter, the way my father talked about it, made it seem that she was just pretending to know what she was doing"

"Your father sought only to protect you. I understand this."

"Tell me about your son, Duncan." He paused a moment, as if he was considering Fallon's statement.

"He is not my own blood."

"That doesn't always matter. My cousins were like siblings to me. Tell me about him."

"He is an idealist and he loves dairy goods."

"Dairy goods? What, like cheese?"

"Especially that." They sat together in silence for several minutes as Duncan ladled out the soup into their individual cups. Fallon took a large gulp of the warm golden liquid and felt the warmth slowly travel down her throat and into her stomach. Her tongue was burned but the pleasant feeling in her belly made up for this. Duncan continued. "Alistair was going to be a templar, but it was obvious when I met him that he was meant for much greater things. He was absolutely elated to join the Grey Wardens."

"Well why wouldn't you be?" Fallon said sarcastically as she took another sip of her soup. Oh how tired she was of only having soup for dinner.

"You only protest because you fear the unknown. You will make a fine Grey Warden. I believe you will enjoy being one."

"Will I enjoy this Alistair fellow that you speak so highly of? Will I even get to meet him?"

"Yes, to both of your questions. His humor seems….complimentary to yours. The two of you will likely get along quite well."

"How do you know this?"

"Because there are very few things in this world that make me smile, but both you and Alistair have made me laugh. If I like you, then you will certainly like him."

* * *

Fallon shook the memory out of her head. Even then, she hadn't been able to remember ever making the Warden Commander laugh but didn't want to argue against him. He was right though, she did enjoy Alistair. His sense of humor did compliment her own. The tin cup held in her hand warmed upon contact with the soup and very soon it became difficult to hold. The heat spread angrily through the metal and into her fingers and palms, nipping at her skin. She quickened her pace as she walked toward the former Templar, placing the cup on the log beside him.

"Duncan told me much about you during our travels, like your obsession with cheese, for example." Fallon noticed a small hint of a smile on his lips as he put his sword away and brought his shield out to polish. "I know it doesn't help, because he is gone, but I thought you should know he did love you. No matter how things are now, no one can take that away from you." Alistair still didn't say anything, so Fallon continued. "I lost some people too, quite recently in fact. One was my friend, Kora. She was a bright and beautiful. Completely bubbly, almost to an annoying degree, and she was probably the most devout Andrastian I've ever met. The other was my… friend, Nelaros. He was brave and kind. I owe him my life. I was silent for most of the trip to Ostagar because of their deaths so I understand if you need some time. Just know that, when you do want to talk, you can always talk to me." She left him alone with his dinner, sucking slightly on her burned fingertips as she turned back to Morrigan.

"Still silent I see." The woman said with one of her dark eyebrows raised, fire casting unflattering shadows on her face.

"Yes, how do you like dinner?" Fallon said as she sat down on the mushy ground beside the fire. Morrigan scoffed.

"This is absolutely unacceptable. You, my dear, are in charge presently. You have been a warden for a week, have no formal training, and are only nineteen years old. He is the Senior Grey Warden and is giving his power to you in favor of moping about. How does he expect to the lead the troops to battle if he cannot even lead us through the Wilds?" She gestured wildly with her hands and Fallon was half scared she'd cast a spell on accident.

"He's upset. It will pass and he'll be able to take charge again." She scooted closer to the fire, hoping to warm her hands.

"My troubled heart can finally rest." She said with an edge of sarcasm.

"How old are you, Morrigan?" Fallon said, trying to changed the subject.

"My mother did not care about age, only prowess." She waved her hand again, disregarding the question.

"Well I care about age. So humor me, how old are you?"

"Such useless trifles," She said with a sigh. "but alright. If I must. I am most likely….around twenty three. However time feels much different in the Wilds, take from that what you will."

"Ah, well no wonder you find Alistair and myself so maddening." Fallon thought about how irritated she'd be taking orders from her junior.

"I am not quite as maddened by you as I initially assumed. " Morrigan said before turning away from the elf to look through her pack. Fallon simply smiled as she warmed her hands on the fire. As far as the apostate witch was concerned, that was probably the best compliment one could be given.

_September 3__rd__, Late Afternoon_

Fallon speared the hurlock's eye on the end of her sword, slashing it across the face with the second one. It spurted blood all over its companions as it died. Some of the others that had ambushed them were dodging behind trees, hiding beneath the muddy waters, and it was impossible to find them during the chaos. A genlock messenger started to make a run for it, heading back to the horde, but Fallon threw her sword, pinning it dead to a tree.

They had barely any warning before this group of twenty or so darkspawn attacked. Neither Fallon nor Alistair had felt anything since the blocking spell Morrigan used worked both ways. However, they stumbled across a dog. He acknowledged them momentarily, before turning and growling angrily at the trees. Morrigan thought he was mad with Blight sickness, Alistair said nothing, but Fallon could tell something was going on. She ordered them to be ready and when the first wave hit, they were.

It had been several minutes of nonstop fighting and Fallon had lost track of the others. Morrigan kept changing shapes every few seconds and it was impossible to tell if there really was a brown bear helping them or if that was just the apostate. When Fallon looked around this time she saw a crow, flying around and confusing the darkspawn while the dog leapt at their throats. Seeing that neither of them needed her help she turned instead to the blonde Templar, who was currently combating three darkspawn at once. She jumped in to lessen the load. A darkspawn with a heavy mace set its sights on her, attempting to bash in her head and crush her knees. It was hard to block the attacks with her swords, they shook with protest at each blow. Fallon found herself fearing her swords would shatter and sought to end this before they did. She swept both blades across the creatures torso, puncturing through the thin armor and into his flesh. It tumbled over.

Before she had a chance to gather her thoughts, a Darkspawn had sprung up from the waters behind her, dripping in mud. It was frightening to see that terrible grimace beneath a suit of distorting sludge. It caught her off guard, knocking one of her swords from her hand, and stabbed at her with its own dagger. The splint mail she had on took the brunt of the attack, but it still left her abdomen bruised. Fallon took her remaining sword and stabbed into its throat, getting blood and gunk all over her hands, but the sword had slipped and only nicked the main artery. The darkspawn fought back with its last remaining bit of life, it lunged forward, taking the red haired elf down into the muddy water with it.

Wrestling with a darkspawn underwater when you don't know the first thing about swimming wasn't Fallon's idea of battle. The things black blood spilled from its wound as it slowly died, darkening the already murky water. Its grasp loosened on the elf, and the thing finally died. But Fallon had no idea how to swim, so panic began to set in. The pond she had fallen in was just deep enough that she couldn't reach the bottom, and now the blood made it impossible to even see where the surface was. Before her lungs forced her to breath in the dirty water, Fallon felt a force pulling her upward by her armor collar. The sludge dissipated and was replaced with sunlight as she was dragged onto the land once more, breathing deeply and ignoring the stench that flooded her nostrils. Turning to see who her savior was, Fallon was not met with human eyes, but the dark brown eyes of the mabari.

"Thank you." She said breathlessly at the animal, who barked happily in reply, then sat down beside her. Fallon laid back for a moment, allowing her heart rate to slow.

"Fallon, are you alright?" Alistair asked her, looking haggard and tired. She was happy he was speaking again.

"Yes. I'm fine. The dog just saved me." She propped herself up on an elbow and used the other hand to tickle the dog under the chin.

"You are lucky the mangy mongrel found us when he did." Morrigan said after transforming back into human form. Both Fallon and Alistair averted their gaze as the witch wandered around the battle field, recollecting her clothing and putting it onto her naked body.

"I don't think luck has anything to do with it. I think this is the dog I met back at Ostagar."

"You think he's been following us then?" Alistair asked, patting the dog on the head.

"I don't know, but he's here now, and I am certainly glad for it." Fallon started to get to her feet, Alistair helped her up, Morrigan threw her a rag from one of their packs.

"Wipe yourself off, Warden, you look like a darkspawn." Morrigan cackled at the comparison, and returned to searching for the remainder of her clothes and then looking over the dead creatures for anything of use. Fallon cleaned the gunk from her face, trying to wipe as much of it out of her hair as she could but relegating her locks to a muddled and dull auburn for now.

"So if you are gonna follow us around does that mean I get to name you?" The elf got down on one knee in front of the enormous dog, looking it straight in the eyes. She had wanted a dog her whole life but Soris was allergic. She had a million names in her head and tried to sort through them quickly to settle on the perfect one for their new companion when she noticed a metal tag on his collar. Dawson, was all it said. "I guess you already have a name. Alright Dawson, if you'd like to join our group you'll be expected to pull your weight. I won't have you slacking in your duties just because you are a dog." He barked at her indignantly. "Good. Come along then."

They gathered their things quietly. Morrigan, now fully clothed, well as clothed as she had been before, handed the two wardens back their packs and took up her position at the front once more. Alistair regressed once more into silence but Fallon decided not to let it bother her. He'd come around eventually.

"Come along Wardens. We are getting close to Lothering."


	8. Welcome to Lothering

**Welcome to Lothering**

* * *

_Kingsway 4th, Mid Day_

"Look live gentlemen, there's more travelers to attend to. I am guessing that pretty young elf is their leader" Fallon rolled her eyes as she approached a large group of men. They had been travelling for most of the morning on a long paved piece of road that ran through most of Ferelden. It was called the Imperial Highway. At the moment, however, it didn't look too imperial, peppered with bits of debris and broken wagons left by fleeing refugees. The man who had spoken was a short dark skinned human. He was wearing leather armor, but it ended it a fringed skirt thing that showed off way too much of his legs. It was obvious he had gotten it second hand.

"Um, they don't look much like them other travelers. Maybe we should just let them through." The second man to speak was a hulking thing, at least six and a half feet tall, with arm muscles as big as Fallon's head. He talked in a slow bumbling manner, clearly not the sharpest sword in the armory.

"Nonsense. Greetings travelers! We welcome you to the fine village of Lothering." He smiled broadly at the three companions, eyeing the mabari suspiciously. Fallon looked over her shoulder and could see the outline of Lothering in the near distance.

"I'm not interested in anything you are offering" Fallon said dismissively. She could sense that both Morrigan and Alistair tensing up behind her. Dawson let out a low growl.

"Now is that anyway to greet someone? There's a toll of a simple ten silvers and you are free to move on." He held out his hand expectantly as his many friends moved in closer.

"You should listen to your friend, we aren't refugees. "

"See... I told you boss. They's aren't refugees… refugees don't got swords."

"The toll applies to everyone, that's why it's a toll and not, say, a refugee tax."

"Oh. Righ'. Even though you're no refugee, you still gotta pay!" He seemed delighted at figuring that out himself. Fallon didn't really want to kill these men. She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I see… so what is this toll for exactly?"

"Upkeep of the Imperial Highway. It's a bit of a mess now isn't it?" The leader said. He sounded too smart to be a common criminal.

"I doubt very strongly that you are in charge of fixing the highway."

"Well, its not a real toll. We's just robbing you, see?"

"Yes I gathered as much, but thank you for the explanation. You just need to ask yourself if you want to get in the way of the Grey Wardens."

"Grey Wardens, is it? Hmmm…"

"Aren't those the ones whose killed the king? Aren't they supposed to be really good? Good enough to kill a king."

"Right… well I'll just let you get back to your darkspawn fighting, king killing ways. Move aside chaps, let the Wardens through." He motioned for his men to move, Fallon remained where she was, arms still crossed defiantly.

"Do you really think I'm going to allow this little operation to proceed? I can't let you continue to take advantage of people running away from the Blight."

"I… we… "

"How about this," Fallon interrupted the leader's rambling, "You and your crew leave everything behind and go find a more respectable line of work. I really don't want to get anymore blood on me today." She gave them a menacing glare, the best she could muster. Under normal circumstances the five foot four elf would hardly be intimidating, but covered in black mud and darkspawn blood was enough to make anybody scary. Add to that the fact that she meant every word… it was only a few seconds before the highwaymen took off.

"You should have killed them… They were fools." Morrigan said as the group ran off, dropping their bags of coin.

"Probably, but I don't want to kill more people than is necessary." Fallon motioned for Morrigan and Alistair to help her pick up some of the satchels. The one she picked up only had a few coppers in it.

"I fail to see how killing the brigands would have been considered unnecessary. They have likely killed others. Your noble sense of morality must grow weary at times, Fallon."

" It might grow weary to you Morrigan, but think about it. Do you really want to waste what little bit of energy we have on those men and not, say….on a nice meal and bath?" Fallon said, shaking the satchel of money at the witch with a smile.

"Hold on just a second. Are you really planning on taking this money?" Alistair spoke up, for the first time in several days, and it was hostile. Fallon couldn't dismiss his concerns, she had thought similar things. How could she condemn those men when she scavenged whatever they picked off the refugees?

"I don't feel good about this Alistair, but darkspawn don't have a reason to carry coin and we need to buy supplies. Tents, food, armor repairs… all these things cost money that we don't have." Fallon said as she tied the drawstrings to several pouches onto her belt. Alistair looked down at the coin, kind of sad. "This is what we will do… buy everything we need to survive traveling, and everything else I promise we will donate to the chantry." It was the only thing she could offer him at the moment and it seemed to at least slightly satisfy him. Morrigan chuckled.

"Perhaps your sense of morality is not quite as noble as I first surmised, Warden." Morrigan said as she tied some bags to her own belt. "And it seems you have decided to rejoin us Alistair, falling on your sword in grief seemed like too much trouble I take it."

"Is my being upset so hard to understand? What would you do if your mother died?"

"Before or after I stopped laughing?"

"Right… very creepy… forget I asked."

"Alright you two… So we're in Lothering now. We need to come up with a plan." They walked farther along the highway and Lothering finally came into full view. It would have been picturesque if not for the masses of people swarming every inch of the small village like frenzied ants. Shanty towns had formed in the various meadows, spaces between houses, and beneath bridges. Hundreds of campfires had created clouds of smoke that hovered over the town, casting everything in an unflattering grey light.

"The first thing we need to do is get to Arl Eamon. He will know how to handle Loghain." Alistair said as they paused, looking down on the bustling village.

"Why not simply go after the enemy directly? Find this Loghain and kill him, then we may deal with the darkspawn in safety."

"Yes… He certainly wouldn't see that coming. And its not like he has the advantage of an army or experience."

"That is simply my opinion Alistair. If your wish is to come up with reasons why something cannot be done, we will stand here until the darkspawn are upon us."

"Alright, stop it, both of you. Loghain and the treaties can wait for the moment. We have to purchase a few things, find a place to sleep for the night, and one of us needs to find someone willing to rent us a proper bath. I don't know about you but I could certainly use one right about now. So who wants to do what?"

" I don't think Morrigan should be in charge of convincing people to let us into their homes. She might give off the wrong impression."

"And I think Alistair should not be responsible for anything that requires haggling or any amount of mental power."

"Alright! Morrigan, go find someplace for us to sleep tonight. Alistair, you get us a bath. I'll go shopping. Meet me by the windmill in an hour."

* * *

The men at the small market had underestimated Fallon's haggling skills, in fact they had simply underestimated her in general. She walked away from the whole deal with three packed tents, some provisions, and a change of clothes for all of them. Dawson carried a bag in his mouth and had another pack on his back, not realizing that both were proper dog food for him. The elf glanced at him every so often just to be sure he wasn't tearing into the bag to get the delicious treats inside. Eventually, Fallon's mind went back to the nice warm bath Alistair was off finding for them, how badly she wanted to scrape the layers of gunk off her skin and wash her filthy clothes. For some reason she had never anticipated that adventuring would be so dirty.

The people of Lothering gave her disgusting looks as she carried her heavy load of supplies through the crowds. Most of them were refugees, dark circles under their eyes and blank stares on their faces, but a fair few were citizens of Lothering, upset by yet another body occupying their space. It must have been hard for them, having their homes overtaken like this, with absolutely no way to stop it.

She arrived at the windmill and dropped her heavy baggage onto the ground, sliding down with it and resting for the first time in what felt like ages. Dawson settled down beside her and she removed the baggage he was transporting and rested a hand on his head, patting it slowly. She had always wanted a dog, but now that she had one she wasn't sure what to do with him. There weren't that many pets running around the Alienage. However he seemed to be enjoying any attention she gave him so she stopped worrying.

This part of Lothering was not quite as occupied, just the odd Chasind barbarian running around. Most people were staying confined to the relative safety of the village, protected from the wolves and bandits by guards placed at every exit, but they all knew this wouldn't save them when the Darkspawn showed up. Fallon shut her eyes and basked in the sunlight for a few moments, waiting for the others to arrive. They both had their work cut out for them. She was just glad for a little bit of peace and quiet, knowing full well that the two would be bickering as soon as they returned.

When Fallon opened her eyes she found her gaze resting on a curious individual in a cage that she hadn't noticed before. He was extremely tall, at least seven feet, with gray skin and white hair, though he looked young enough. The man was paying Fallon no attention, simply staring ahead in a concentrated but serious manner. He nodded once in her direction but Fallon soon realized that it wasn't to her but the Mabari lying next to her. Then the man went back to ignoring the pair of them. He was so mysterious that the elf couldn't stop herself from leaving Dawson to question him, not that she wanted to stop herself in the first place.

"Are you here to taunt me?" The giant said as she approached.

"No. I was wondering, what are you doing in that cage?"

"Standing."

"No, I mean why are you in there?"

"For slaughtering an entire family." Fallon only paused briefly at this statement before she continued onward with her questions.

"Did you do it?"

"Yes." His abruptness caught her off guard, but she continued on with her inquiries anyway.

"Are you…human?" She tried to ask this question carefully. The man didn't look human, too tall, too broad, and with odd colored skin. However, there didn't seem to be a nice way to ask.

"I am qunari. You, it seems, are an elf without manners."

"I have manners. I'm asking you these things politely."

"Badgering a caged man with endless questions is apparently manners for an elf."

"I'm sorry, do you have something better to do?" Fallon asked sarcastically.

"No. Yet I would still rather be doing it."

"Have it your way." She left the cage in a huff that betrayed her youth and returned to the windmill, resumed her seat and continued looking at the qunari from a distance, wishing she had remembered to ask his name before he clammed up. Fallon had never heard of qunari before. It was incredibly odd to leave your home and discover there was a completely different race of people out there. Perhaps she could ask Alistair about them.

As if he could sense her thinking about him, Alistair showed up. Looking thoroughly exhausted, he plopped himself down beside Fallon as she simultaneously handed him some water to drink.

"Alistair, what do you know about the Qunari?" She asked as he took a large and noisy gulp.

"Been talking to the prisoner? I had a brief conversation earlier… not the most talkative man in Lothering. His name is Sten, I think."

"I tried to talk to him. He wasn't interested."

" I think qunari are like that. I don't know much about them, other than the fact that they are world renowned fighters and branded heathens by the Chantry. Oh the Chantry…. Everyone is a heathen to them. "

"Do you think….he would be useful to us?" Fallon asked with her eyes still locked on the distant cage.

"So far 'us' consists of two junior wardens and an apostate mage with an attitude… I think anyone would be useful."

"Hmm. Something to ponder at least. So… I've been meaning to ask….who is this Arl Eamon person to you?"

"Let's see…. how do I explain this? I'm a bastard. And before you make any smart comments, I mean the fatherless kind. My mother was a serving girl in Redcliffe Castle and died when I was very young. Arl Eamon wasn't my father, but he took me in and put a roof over my head. He was good to me. I respect the man and I don't blame him any more for sending me off to the Chantry when I was ten."

"He sent you to be raised in the Chantry? Why would he do that?"

"Arl Eamon married a young orlesian woman. She resented the rumors that I was his son. They weren't true, but they still bothered her. So I was packed off to the nearest monestary at age ten. Just as well. The arlessa made sure the castle wasn't a home to me by that point. She despised me."

"How could anyone despise you?"

"Oh its difficult, I won't lie. My natural charms force begrudging love from most people, but the arlessa was determined." He paused for a second and handed the water back to her, looking down at his feet. "The sad thing is the arl used to visit me but I was such a stubborn, angry child that I refused to see him, and eventually he stopped coming. "

" How long has it been since you've seen him?"

"Eleven years. But he is a good and reasonable man, he will not stand for what Loghain is doing." There was a brief pause, but the sudden seriousness in the air made it clear that Alistair was about to say something important. Fallon didn't interrupt. "I… I need to talk to you about… what happened…"

"There's no need to ask. You can take control of the expedition whenever you want."

"What? No, no, that's not what I was saying at all. I wanted to tell you that what you did was right. When I saw those people all I could think about was Duncan. I don't know, I guess I had some small hope that maybe he was alive. If you had listened to me I would have gotten us both killed."

"It was hard for me too, to see those people being taken off by the darkspawn. I promise you that I wanted to save them. I don't want you to think I'm heartless."

"No, you are full of heart but you also have brains. That is what's important in a leader. That's why I think you should stay in charge."

Fallon paused for a moment, hand absentmindedly ripping up clumps of grass and depositing it in a pile. "You are the senior warden and you should be in charge. I only took control back there because it had to be done. You can lead this whole thing at any time."

"I don't want to be the leader, Fallon. I'm sorry to put so much weight on your shoulders but I'm not good at talking to people, motivating people. I'm just the loveable sidekick that delivers the funny one-liners. If anyone is designed for leadership, its you."

"Yes, the elf warden who knows absolutely nothing about the group she represents…"

"Leadership isn't about knowing what's right, its about doing what's right, and you have that under control. Besides, one of my many duties as a loveable sidekick is to fill you in on any and all Grey Warden trivia. So ask away."

Fallon spent the next few hours or so asking questions about the Wardens and the Darkspawn, while Alistair tried his best to answer. The Wardens, however, were a particularly secretive bunch and even he didn't know some of what seemed to be the most basic forms of information. Like why did the darkspawn live underground? Why did they kidnap those people instead of killing them? Why don't random worthy warriors accidentally become Wardens from ingesting darkspawn blood on the battlefield? These were the questions that he couldn't answer but Fallon did feel much better about being in charge once the flow of questions stopped.

"I don't even know how to fight." There was now a large area of bare ground around her knees and Dawson was framed in ripped grass.

"Fallon, I hate to break this to you, but I've seen you fight."

"My mother taught me how to fight but… I don't know how to be at war. The first real battle I ever got into was right before I was recruited."

"Hey that's right… I just told you all about how Duncan recruited me from the Templars, so now it's your turn to tell me how you joined." He looked at her, smiling expectantly, and Fallon smiled in return. It was one of her signature fake smiles, beautiful, glowing, and only on the surface. At the moment, Alistair didn't know her well enough to see she was hiding something. Shianni could always catch it. Her grin slipped from her face briefly as she wondered what was happening to her family. That mage had said something about a rebellion. She hoped they were okay.

"There isn't much to tell." She said looking down at the ring still on her finger. It was covered in blood just like when she first saw it, but this time it didn't belong to her betrothed. Alistair, still wearing his smile, added skeptical to the list of emotions he was conveying with his eyes. She sighed. This was not information she wanted to share with a man she just met. Time for a lie. "I just… wait a second."

Fallon stood up. She just noticed the beautiful color of the sky. Purple and pinks painted across the horizon by the setting sun. It hadn't set yet, but it was well on its way. Her stomach growled angrily, confirming that much time had passed.

"We've been talking for hours." She said with an edge of fear in her voice. Alistair looked at her slightly puzzled.

"Do you have a time limit for how long you can talk to me?" He joked but upon seeing the fear in Fallon's face he quickly stowed his laugh.

"Where is Morrigan?"

* * *

Twilight cast unfriendly shadows across all of Lothering as the two wardens set out looking for their lost companion. The sun, it seemed, was determined to undermine their efforts and began setting at a rapid pace, until soon all they had was torch light. The majority of refugees were sleeping soundly, or drinking and laughing by a campfire. Everyone they questioned could not remember ever seeing Morrigan, and didn't like being disturbed. Some of the drunks were particularly heinous, calling Fallon racial slurs and throwing things at her. Alistair wanted to intervene but she wouldn't let him, they needed to find the Morrigan.

The sun set completely, and they had scoured all the refugee camps looking for any sign of her. Every terrible scenario played out in Fallon's head. She had sent the woman out into a large group of refugees barely clothed with large amounts of money tied to her belt. If that wasn't a recipe for disaster then what was. Fallon had just been so desperate to get their expedition underway and make her and Alistair stop fighting that she hadn't thought it through. There were thousands of people in this small village. They had everything taken from them and nothing to lose. And worse still, Morrigan was new to the whole civilization thing, how could she send her out alone like that? The elf imagined her dead, bled dry in an alley somewhere with a dagger in her ribs. Alistair's outlook was much different.

"I knew we couldn't trust her. Bloody apostate ran back to her mother no doubt. Or more likely, ran away from Flemeth, using our money to fund her travels. I told you we couldn't trust her. I knew this was going to happen." He kept spewing every nasty thing he could about the dark-haired witch as they walked back to the windwill where Dawson guarded their belongings. Fallon ignored him and fretted silently about her safety. It wasn't that they were friends exactly, but if she was supposed to be the commander how did she lose a companion like this, when they weren't even on the battlefield?

* * *

_Kingsway 4th, Night_

"You don't need to fret Fallon, she ran away. That's all there is to it. She could have used her magic if anyone had tried to kill her." Alistair said as he helped her with set up her tent. The young woman had no experience with the bundle of canvas and wooden poles and the thing kept falling down on her as she entered it. Alistair was forced to step in, letting her observe how it was done, while Fallon blamed her terrible tent erecting skills on her frazzled state of mind. A worried frown still adorned her face but she couldn't help believing maybe Alistair was right. The woman had magic, better yet she was a Shapeshifter. She could have simply turned into a dog and wandered away. Maybe she passed them as a bird as they waited for her by the windmill, or maybe she was dead in a back alley mind kept wandering back to that.

Alistair finished the tent and stood back to admire his handiwork. It looked sturdy, but Fallon hadn't really been paying attention and knew she'd need his help tomorrow too.

"Alright, let's just get some sleep. First thing in the morning we can look for her again. We are going to assume something is wrong until we know otherwise." She said good night to him as they both entered their own tents. Too exhausted to remove her bloody disgusting armor, Fallon simply laid down on her bedroll and attempted to fall asleep. Before her eyes finally closed she had a deep sinking feeling in her heart that if they didn't find Morrigan tomorrow then they wouldn't be able to get her back at all.


	9. Desperation

**_Chapter Nine : Desperation_**

_Kingsway 5th, Early Morning_

Morrigan didn't arrive at their camp during the night. Fallon had hoped to see her tent made up in the morning, but it was still in it package. The new Warden Commander almost ordered her 'troops' on another desperate search but, upon hearing the growls from their bellies, realized they needed some decent food. Alistair and Dawson led the way merrily, communicating with each other back and forth, while Fallon tried to work out the tightness in her muscles. Against her better judgment, she had decided to wear her armor to bed. Just in case. Once morning arrived nothing had happened except she now had a crick in her neck and a dull ache in her back.

The trio joined a long line that had formed outside of Lothering's only tavern. They garnered many evil glares despite wearing civilian clothing. Alistair and Fallon had talked about it that morning, deciding it was in their best interest to try to blend in.

"Hey, You! Elf!" Fallon turned to see two men at the front of the line waving her over. She glanced at Alistair momentarily before walking up to the men. "Sorry … I was just going to say… you and your companion look hungry. How about you two take our place in line?" The man said with a gesture. Fallon narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"You must have been standing here for hours. Why do you want to do this?"

" Well, and I don't mean any offense by this, but you are a woman…" Fallon continued to look at him suspiciously. "Women shouldn't have to wait in line for a proper bath now should they?"

"Then, why my companion too?"

"Well… and again no offense…. but I assumed he was your protection. There are …a lot of men about." Fallon wasn't sure what to believe. Yes, there were a lot of men about, and she was in fact a woman, but even dressed in a cotton tunic and pants as she was, there were still two menacing swords strapped to her back.

"Alright… thank you very much. I'll give you some coin…" She reached for the money pouch on her belt.

"Oh no miss, there is no need. Just get yourself a decent meal and a proper bath and that'll be good enough for us." He pushed her hand away and the two of them began to back out of the line, waving Alistair over before disappearing into the crowds.

"That was… odd." She looked at the people in line behind her and none of them seemed to be bothered that she and her friend had cut. "Hmmm…"

"Hmm, what?"

"Don't you think this whole thing was just a little suspicious?"

"That a man would give up his spot in line to impress a beautiful woman or that you need a bath so bad he ran away?" Alistair laughed uproariously, Dawson growled. "What? You have a better nose then I do, you should know." Fallon punched him in the arm, playfully but hard. He pouted, and rubbed his muscle sadly. "Now I remember why I should wear armor at all times."

* * *

The Tavern was completely overrun with people and in spite of being placed at the front of the line it was still awhile before they were able to get inside. The staff was harried but very kind and helpful. Once a table was secured for them and breakfast ordered, a young servant girl led Fallon to the washroom. As she climbed the creaky wooden stairs to the upper level of the tavern, Fallon quickly glanced around to see if her mage companion was somewhere, hidden in the various nooks and crannies, perhaps passed out from drinking too much ale. There weren't any dark haired apostates, or passed out drunks, just families eating breakfast and Chantry sisters attempting to help. Fallon sighed before continuing to ascend.

The washroom was small, too small for Dawson who was forced to wait outside, much to his disgust. In fact, it was quite possible that at one time it had been a closet but was upgraded to washroom status to combat the influx of people. There was a small cracked mirror tacked to one wall, a wooden shelf on the far side of the room and a large wooden tub in the center which was already filled with hot water.

Fallon wiped a thin layer of condensation off the mirror and took a moment to inspect her reflection for the first time in a long while. She had gone several days without washing her face. The grime and dirt had worked its way into her pores and, as she ran her fingers over her skin, Fallon could feel the blemishes that had started to form beneath the surface. She groaned loudly.

"Maker! If I must fight the Blight couldn't you at least give me decent skin to fight with." She heard a chortle on the other side of the door.

"Am I actually hearing you pray to the Maker for better skin?" Fallon's cheeks went red briefly before she opened the door to see her fellow Warden leaning against the opposite wall smiling.

"Do you think my prayers are inappropriate?" She said, crossing her arms with false anger.

"To say the least. You think the Maker passes out miracles wily-nilly? You should be saving your prayers for something really good." Alistair was in an impish good mood this morning. "Skin… pft… why would you pray for that? It gets covered up with blood anyway. But… look at my hair. You think I could get it looking this good without a little divine intervention?"

"Ah... So you are saying I need to prioritize?" Fallon tapped her lips as if trying to comprehend. Alistair nodded.

"That's all I'm saying…. Now hurry up, the food should be ready soon."

* * *

The bath was wonderful. It burned her skin slightly when she first settled into it, turning her pale flesh a bright pink color, but eventually her body grew accustomed to the heat. Fallon washed her hair first, and then focused on scrubbing the layers off her skin, knowing that it would likely be filthy again by tomorrow. Her time in the washroom was done all too quickly. Soon the servant kicked her out and Fallon was shivering in the cool air of the crowded tavern. She braided her wet hair in a plait down her back as she waited for Alistair at their table. In the noisy bar, with people laughing and eating, a few singing cheerfully, the Blight didn't seem to be on the doorstep. For the first time since before her wedding day, Fallon felt content.

Alistair and the food arrived at exactly the same time.

"I think I could get used to this kind of treatment." Fallon said as she took an enormous bite of the meat pie in front of her. It was so nice to use utensils again.

"For a poor, struggling, overloaded rural tavern, they have been very hospitable." He responded as he handed Dawson a chunk of bread. The Mabari took it happily. Belly full, hair clean, dirt scrubbed off and wearing brand new clothes, Fallon was feeling really good. She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath.

"Alright, I have a question for you." Fallon said.

"Goody, I love questions."

"This is difficult….if it's out of line just stop me. Alright…. So…. Hmm….since you grew up in the Chantry ….does that mean that you've never…" She let the last part of the question drop off, already regretting asking. Alistair got a sly grin across his face as he shoveled another forkful of meat into his mouth.

"Never… never what? Had a good pair of shoes? "

"You know what I'm talking about." She said indignantly. Fallon could feel the heat radiating from her red face. Alistair ignored her embarrassment and continued to grin.

"I'm not sure I do…. Seen a basilisk? Eaten jellied ham? Never licked a lamppost in winter?"

"A simple yes or no would have been fine. There is no need to mock me." She smiled at him as pretend aghast replaced his own grin.

"Mock you dear lady, perish the thought… answer me this… Have you ever licked a lamppost in winter?" Fallon rolled her eyes at him and covered her face in her hands, muffling her response.

"No, I've never licked a lamp post in winter." She vowed never to ask him a question again.

"Good. I knew a man who did. Looked painful. Well… um…I've never done _it_. Not that I haven't thought about it. It's just …" Fallon looked up as Alistair's sentence dropped off.

"You lack the proper parts?" She teased. Alistair laughed.

"Ow, such cruelty from such a beautiful woman. No, living in the Chantry isn't exactly a life for rambunctious boys. They taught me to be a gentleman. That's not so bad is it?"

"Not at all, I completely understand."

" Good. I mean, you'd want a gentleman courting you wouldn't you? If… if you were to be courted of course." He was fumbling over his words slightly.

"No, it's fine. That is exactly what I would want. As long as he was hilarious, like a certain Grey Warden I know."

"You? Yes, you are hilarious but apparently not humble at all." Behind him, Fallon noticed the two men who had let her and Alistair cut in line sitting at the bar. They were drinking heavily but kept looking over their shoulder. When they saw Fallon they stopped turning towards her and instead set their gaze on the door. "What about you?" Alistair said, after the pause in conversation.

"What about me?" She responded, taking a huge gulp of water.

"What about you… did you ever…." Alistair asked, although he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, indicating his unease. Fallon's face went red the minute he asked, and she choked a little. It was only fair to respond, but the words wouldn't come so instead she just shook her head in response.

"May I ask why?"

"Um… well… Alienage culture aside, I never really liked anyone enough."

"What do you mean by Alienage culture? Is it that different from human culture?"

" I don't know. Some people have but the elders try to discourage it. Marriages are arranged for people as young as sixteen and enforced by the time you are twenty, so, if you've found someone that you'd be willing to be intimate with then you might as well marry them. Does that make sense?"

"Not really. Why do they make you get married?"

"There aren't many elves left so…I guess…. they are trying to make more." Her face blushed again, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "So…ugh… I guess that's why I haven't."

"Well thank you for being honest with me. You did so gracefully." He said with a laugh that implied he was lying. Fallon was about to say something in response, but lost her thought as a sword flashed to her right. She dove to the side, out of her seat, as a blade barely missed her head and lodged itself in the soft wood of the table. Fallon got back to her feet, and turned to see an armored soldier trying to dislodge his weapon. There were others with him but she didn't get a chance to look at them very long. When she reached back to grab her swords, a pair of arms grabbed her tightly, pinning her down. Alistair was already on his feet, kicking the man closest to him back as he grabbed his shield and sword.

Fallon struggled in the arms of her captor. If she could unsheathe her sword then she would wipe the floor with these men, but she couldn't move. Alistair and Dawson were busy as three more soldiers burst into tavern, which was now in a complete uproar. People screamed and ran in a panic, as unsure of what was going on as the Wardens involved. Fallon succeeded in kicking the man in the knee with her heel, but it did nothing.

Then, out of nowhere, the mysterious captor let go and crumpled to the floor. Fallon turned to see a red haired woman, armed with two kitchen knives, standing over the unconscious man. Without saying anything, she threw one of the knives into the hand of a soldier about to stab Dawson.

Fallon watched the woman for a moment before withdrawing her swords and attacking the man closest to her. He bashed his shield against her chest, knocking the breath from her lungs. She pretended to crumple at the injury, and made a double swipe with her swords when he let down his guard. It sliced across his chest, catching on his chainmail. The soldier bent down, in reaction to a feared injury, and Fallon used the opportunity to slam against his shield, knocking him hard on the skull with it. He fell, landing on an unconscious companion.

Dawson tackled a soldier on her right, biting his forearm ferociously. He screamed in pain, trying to get to his feet and shake the mabari off at the same time, but Fallon pressed a sword to his throat. He stopped moving as fear filled his dark eyes.

"Which one is the leader?" She asked. The man, afraid to speak, glanced at one of the men fighting Alistair. Fallon left to confront their commander, leaving the mabari to watch the injured soldier.

She bashed him in the back of his helmet with the pommel of her sword and sliced the elbow break in his armor as he turned. Startled, he dropped his shield with a loud clamor. Fallon landed more two blows across his metal breastplate, knocking him off his feet without injuring him. The leader fell against the table behind him and before he had a chance to recover, Fallon was on him, one blade trapping the wrist of his sword arm and the other at his throat. She put the tip under his helmet and forced it up off his head, then reapplied her sword to his newly exposed cheek.

"Why did you attack us?" Fallon asked as the fighting stopped abruptly. The leader didn't attempt to struggle but it took awhile for him to respond.

"All traitorous Grey Wardens are wanted by the regent, Teryn Loghain, for killing the king."

"Loghain…" Alistair muttered almost inaudibly beside her.

"Why do you think we are Grey Wardens? Are we dressed like Wardens?"

"Some refugees gave you up for the bounty." Fallon didn't have to ask which ones.

"We know what Loghain did and we aren't going to stand for it." She knocked his weapon out of his hand, took a step back, with her sword still pointed at him. Her face shone with the anger caused by Ostagar; caused by a man who swore to protect Ferelden but threw it to the Darkspawn instead, a man who caused Duncan's death and forced her into leading the fight against something she didn't quite understand "So, he wanted to take the crown? You run back to your fake king. Tell him that we are coming for him and absolutely nothing will keep justice from being brought down on his head. Now get your men and get out of here." She lowered her sword but it took a moment for the man to react. His soldiers scrambled to get away and no one interfered as they limped out of the messy tavern.

Her hand went to her chest as Fallon remembered the horrors of that night, and the deaths. She had watched the field as Loghain's men retreated and could almost feel the desperation of the soldiers when they realized help wasn't coming. Fallon's fingers brushed against the raised bumps of healed arrow scars beneath her shirt. Loghain had caused so much pain, had killed so many people with his actions, and now he was in regent. It was a lot to take in.

Fallon was about to thank the red-haired woman, but noticed the two men from earlier attempting to slink out of the bar. She grabbed the closest one by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him around to face her, forcing him back against the table so she could look down at him. "How did you know we were Grey Wardens?" The scruffy man jumped with fright before answering.

"There… there was a woman yesterday. A witch. The templars got her and she said she was…w..working with the Grey Wardens, but they wouldn't listen. We looked around and … found out about the bounty. I just want to feed my family." He was practically blubbering.

"This woman, tell me what you know about her."

"She had dark hair and was glaring at everyone."

"Yep, that's Morrigan." Alistair added. Fallon nodded before turning back to the man on the table she was interrogating.

"The Templars figured out she was a mage, they took her away. I'm sorry I…"

"Took her where?"

"I can answer that." The words weren't coming from the man, but the woman with cropped red hair who help them. "I am Leliana, a lay-sister at the Lothering Chantry. I saw the Templars bring your companion in yesterday." She had an accent. Antivan, Orlesian, Rivani, Fallon had never met someone who hailed from outside Ferelden so she couldn't be sure. "If you let me come with you then I will take you to her."

"I really appreciate the help but…" Fallon started to speak, but the young woman looked desperate, like she really needed this. And they had just been talking about recruiting. What could it possibly hurt? "Alright. You can come with us." Fallon ignored the look Alistair was giving her.

"We had better hurry. I don't know how much time your friend has." As the women led the way out of the bar Fallon glanced at Alistair who looked troubled.

"Why doesn't she have much time? I thought templars protected mages."

"Um… the templars are actually in charge of defending the Chantry and civilians from the mages."

"From the mages? I thought the Circle Tower was created as a haven…" Her voice kind of trailed off as she remembered what her father had said when her friend was taken away. She had never looked into it, trusting her father's word, but perhaps it wasn't such a good environment after all. "Ah, so that's why there are apostates then? They don't want to go to the Circle?"

"I think so. But I've seen how dangerous mages can be… maybe they don't want to go to the Circle but it's too dangerous for them to receive no training." Fallon was about to ask why it was dangerous but they had reached the Chantry doors.

"Let me speak to the Revered Mother. I'm sure we can work out an understanding." Leliana whispered as she pushed open one of the doors.

The Chantry air seemed somehow fresher. It was cool indoors and extremely quiet, despite being filled with people. Praying at the statue of Andraste, sleeping in the pews, cluttered around the bookshelves, and not a single one made a sound. Several heads turned as the foursome walked in, although most of those looks were directed at Dawson who was enjoying himself. He bounced around, licking the faces of refugee children and disrupted the silence with their laughter.

"Sister Leliana! Is it true you were fighting in the Lothering Tavern?" An older woman with white hair piled on top of her head and ornate robes approached the group.

"Revered Mother, we will speak of that later, but now I need you to please let us see the young woman that was taken in yesterday by the templars."

"The apostate? The Templars are taking her with them."

"No, please, Revered Mother there has been a misunderstanding…."

"Mother, this woman is of valuable importance to the Grey Wardens…" Fallon cut in, before having herself cut off by the old woman.

"Enough. I'll take you to the Templars. Perhaps they can explain this to you better then I."

The Revered Mother led them past her office and into a cramped corridor peppered with doors. It was dark, and smelled of parchment and candle wax. Just as Fallon feeling a bit claustrophobic they reached the end of the hallway where the Revered Mother pushed open a door into a large room, brimming with light. It took her eyes a second to adjust but once they did Fallon saw how much trouble they were in. Ten templars, all heavily armored, wielding huge broadswords, were scattered about the room. At the center, locked in a cage similar to the one the Qunari was in, stood Morrigan.

"About time you arrived." She announced, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. Fallon ignored her, instead adopting the sternest look she could manage, wishing she could look more intimidating.

"What's this?" One of the templar's asked, voice echoing in his metal helmet.

"I demand you release this mage this instant!" Fallon declared, cutting off whatever the Revered Mother was about to say.

"You … demand?" He asked as he pulled the helmet off his head. The templar had dark hair; extremely pale skin and a severe lack of cheeks that made him look starved. Still, he held an air of influence, and it seemed catching apostates was his entire life. "She is to be taken to Aeonar once we are done in Denerim." Alistair let out a strangled gasp. Whatever Aeonar was, it wasn't good.

"She is a Grey Warden." Fallon stated.

"A Grey Warden? She's no Grey Warden…"

"Don't you feel that power emanating off of her? That's not the power of an apostate, it's the power of a Warden." Fallon walked over to the cage, holding her hand up as if she could feel some kind of energy coming off Morrigan, who looked extremely amused.

"I didn't know Wardens had special powers." The templar said, to which Fallon responded with a condescending laugh.

"Of course they do. Do you think they would be a special order if we didn't have special powers? Honestly templar, use your head."

"I…"

"Now can you prove my companion here isn't a Warden?"

"No, we..."

"Are templars allowed to hold Wardens captive like this? During a Blight no less?"

"No, I…"

"Then release her this instant." Fallon stepped away from the cage, covering up her shaking hands by crossing her arms indignantly. The templars exchanged looks, then the leader nodded and one stepped forward to unlock the cage door. Morrigan stepped out gracefully, glaring at her captors as she did. "That will be all! Thank you for your time." With that, Fallon silently motioned for the group to leave, praying the templars wouldn't notice holes in her story, but just before they left the room she turned around once more. "If I could just ask one question, what is your reason for going to Denerim?"

"We are seeking The Right of Annulment. The mages can no longer be contained and The Circle of Magi has been lost."

"I am… sorry to hear that… Good day." Though she didn't know exactly what it was, Fallon knew the Right wasn't a good thing. At that moment, she should have been thinking of the Grey Wardens treaty with the Mages, or how this could inconvenience their war against the Darkspawn, but all she thought of was Zee, the girl she used to play with as a child. Their last day as friends had been unseasonably humid in the Alienage and they decided it would be a bright idea to climb the vhenadahl to catch a non-existent breeze. It was exhilarating, climbing the sacred tree, but got both of them into trouble with their parents. Zee had been taken away that night and Fallon never saw her again. Sure, she still had Soris, Shianni and Kora, but the loss of her friend had scared her. The idea of Zee being "annulled" scared her even more.

"I sincerely hope you would not think so little of me to expect I'd become a Grey Warden." Morrigan whispered as they exited the Chantry.

"I sincerely hope you wouldn't think so much of me to expect I'd even know how to make you one in the first place."

* * *

_Kingsway 5th, Mid-Day_

Once Fallon declared they would head to the Circle Tower first to figure out what was happening to the mages the group began to pack up camp. Leliana could not be swayed to stay behind and upon pressing her further, Fallon discovered she had a vision. Although the elf believed in the Maker, it was a little hard to swallow the tale that He sent her a dream so she'd help stop the Blight. However, Fallon didn't want to offend the woman unnecessarily, and instead just nodded and smiled as she recounted the tale.

Once camp was packed, they realized that they had too much to carry. Fallon was about to sit down to the arduous task of dumping some of their supplies when Alistair remembered a traveling merchant he met earlier and rushed off with the remainder of their money to hire him. With nothing to do but wait, Fallon sat down beneath the shade of the windmill, looking straight at the Qunari once more.

" Tis sad to see such a noble creature locked in a cage, waiting to be eaten by darkspawn." Morrigan said as she sat down beside Fallon.

"It is…I've never met a Qunari before."

"He slaughtered an entire family, but when the guard arrived he just… stood there… let them take him." This time it was Leliana who spoke. "I could… let him out if you'd like. He could join us." Morrigan nodded but Fallon had to think for a moment. She and Alistair had talked about it earlier but now that they were faced with the possibility it seemed graver. Yes they were desperate for help, but were they that desperate? However, she had no clue what they'd face at the Circle.

"Alright. Ask him if he would like to help." Fallon said from her seated position as the Chantry sister marched over to the cage. They couldn't hear what was being said but soon Leliana lockpicked the cage door and released the convicted murderer.

"It seems our zealot is more then she appears…" Morrigan whispered. Fallon replied with a curt nod. They hopped to their feet just as a chart pulled by two large horses pulled up beside them. Alistair jumped out.

"May I present to you Bohdan Feddic? He agreed to carry our supplies for us." Two dwarves jumped off the cart after him and Fallon was almost shocked by how short they were. She had heard tales but for some reason imagined them just a bit taller. One had a brown beard, in keeping with dwarven stereotypes, but the other looked too young to grow one.

"Pleasure to meet you my dear Warden. I'm very excited to be working with you, very excited indeed. I'd like to introduce you to my boy. Say hello, Sandal." Bohdan

"Enchantment?"

Fallon looked around at their group before sighing. Two junior wardens, a half naked apostate, a chantry sister, one qunari, a dog and two dwarves, one simple-minded, no one would take them seriously.

"Good."


	10. Poured Like Syrup, Smelled Like Death

Chapter 10 : _Poured Like Syrup, Smelled Like Death_

The smell of burning flesh was not something Fallon was familiar with, yet she recognized the stench before her eyes opened. It was a dark heavy smell, musty and sticking to her nostrils like caramel. After the scent came the twinge of pain. Hot pinpricks peppered her arm and spread like it was still on fire. She was afraid to open her eyes.

The burn wasn't so bad, mostly superficial but still incredibly painful. She instinctively cradled the wounded arm close to her body, wanting to protect it. Fallon looked around, trying to remember where she was and how she had gotten there. The walls on either side of her were so close that she could touch them with both arms, if one wasn't indisposed at the moment, and it was made of a dark grey rock. There was a ceiling above her of the same material and it took Fallon another moment to see that she was in some sort of tunnel. _That seems familiar, _she thought to was a plinking noise behind her, similar to water on rock, and she turned to see what it was.

That's when she saw Soris lying on a stone slab with a gaping hole in his chest. Crimson blood pooled beneath his body and ran along it, before reaching the edge of the surface and dripping onto the floor in a steady pattern. A thin rivulet of blood had collected and began marching toward Fallon. Her heart quickened in fear of it touching her.

But then she remembered Shianni. Those things had taken Shianni which was why she was in the tunnel in the first place. Some kind of explosion must have knocked her unconscious. Things weren't exactly adding up, but Fallon decided to ignore the feeling until she could be sure her cousin was safe.

The tunnel wasn't long. She exited into a vast cavern, lit only by the red glow of volcanic pools. Everything was cast in an unflattering orange light, which mixed badly with the original grey of the rock. In the center of the cavern was a huge trench. Its jagged edge looked like the terrible maw of a monster, ready to swallow her whole if she got too close. It should have been filled with impenetrable darkness, but the trench was brighter then the cavern, bits of illumination bounced out of it and reflected off the rocks. She took a step closer to investigate, but that was when she heard Shianni.

"Cousin? Help… me…" The voice was weak, dying, and came from a girl alone on the ground with an arrow through her chest. It was the kind Hurlock archers shot, thick, long, and stained black from either the owner's filth or Shianni's blood. Fallon rushed to her cousin's side, grasped her hand, tears in her eyes.

"I'm here Shianni. You don't need to worry. I'll figure something…" Fallon tried to comfort her but Shianni interrupted, with poison in her words.

"How convenient… show up just as we die. You didn't care about us when we lived so why should you be here now?"

"What? No, of course I cared about you."

"So that's why you left? Because you cared so much? Left me and Soris and Uncle Cyrion alone, to fend for ourselves."

"I had to leave Shianni. They wouldn't let me stay any…"

"The Fallon I knew wouldn't have cared what the shems said. She would have stayed because she wanted to. But you didn't want to stay did you? You wanted to get as far away from the Alienage as possible…. Wanted to make a name for yourself?"

"Shianni, that's not fair! I never would have left you if I could have helped it."

"And yet you did. And we followed you here… and now we are all dead. And it's your fault." A roar interrupted Fallon's rebuttal. It was as though the trench behind her had gained life. A great gust of wind threw her red locks into her eyes. Fallon turned toward the wind, still clutching her cousin's hand, to see a monstrosity flying out of the trench. It was a dark purple shade with fearsome teeth and claws. Its wingspan was huge and it breathed a huge column of fire into the air as it landed on a bridge Fallon didn't notice. A dragon, the same one she remembered fighting in that dream with her mother she had a few… Fallon turned to see Shianni was gone. This was a dream. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the Dragon.

It wasn't looking at Fallon, but down at the trenches, growling at something unseen. The elf cautiously walked toward the edge of the trench, being very careful with her steps. Peering over the rock, Fallon saw them, thousands and thousands of darkspawn, all looking at the dragon, The Arch-Demon. She turned back to look at the dragon and found herself staring directly into its eyes. The creature had silently advanced on her and was now staring with unblinking intensity. The air it spewed from its nostrils was dark and tainted, Fallon held her breath. It lasted a moment, then the Arch-Demon roared loudly at its troops and flew out of the cavern.

* * *

_Kingsway 10__th__, Early Morning _

Fallon woke up. The stars hovered uncertainly in the sky, in the process of being chased off by the rising sun. It was very early morning. She probably could have gotten at least another half hour of sleep if it hadn't been for the nightmare.

"Bad dreams, huh?" Alistair asked. His bedroll was set up on the other side of a large campfire. They had decided there was no reason to unpack the tents. The weather would be fine that night so all the companions, except for Morrigan who built herself a shelter and the Feddics who slept in their wagon, laid beneath the stars. They were still a few days outside of the Circle Tower, but rumors reached their ears about what was happening almost every day. Some people said rebellion, some said blood magic, no matter what the tale it was always something terrible. Alistair had sighed sadly when they passed the turn off for Redcliffe but had not said anything; he understood why they must go to the Tower first. "Fallon? Did you have a nightmare?"

"I'm sorry. I was lost in thought. I think I was dreaming about the Arch-Demon. It was underground … somewhere."

"It might not be a dream exactly. You see, part of being a Grey Warden is hearing the Darkspawn. That's what your dream was, hearing them. The archdemon talks to the horde, and we feel it just as they do. That's how we know this is a real Blight. "

"Ah, I see. So I can look forward to these nightmares for the rest of my life can I? Perfect." She cracked her neck, then got to her feet, stretching until her muscles were appropriately loose. Alistair got to his feet as well.

"Eventually you'll learn to block it out so it's not forever. Anyhow, I heard you thrashing around and I thought I should tell you. It was a bit scary at first for me too." He laid a reassuring hand on Fallon's shoulder.

"The only thing that scares me Alistair, are heights and spiders. Since the dream had neither, I was fine. But I appreciate it. Are there any other exciting thing the Wardens decided to keep from me?"

"You mean besides the creepy blood ritual and dying young? No, I think that about covers it."

"Good, I doubt I could handle more Warden secrets at the moment." She sighed and went to the armor in a careful pile beside her bed and began putting it on over her cotton shirt and pants. The greaves were always the hardest to put on for some reason. Fallon's fingers and the straps attached to the metal never seemed to cooperate. In fact, if they were people, she bet they would be arguing like Alistair and Morrigan.

Once her armor was on and her twin swords were fashioned safely onto her back, Fallon left to talk to her waking companions. They had spent five days on the road so far but Fallon still didn't know much about those she traveled with. During their free time she found herself unconsciously seeking out the company of either Alistair or Morrigan, who she had already grown accustomed. It wasn't until yesterday she had noticed this unfortunate behavior and actually made an attempt to talk to the other two. Sten had enjoyed the company of Dawson much more than his new commander and Leliana had been so excited to talk to someone that she didn't stop for a few hours. Still, a commander should know her team.

Leliana and Sten were sitting together near the fire, although neither were speaking to the other. The Chantry sister had attempted conversation with the giant a few times but it had never ended well. At the moment she was quietly singing to herself as she drew on the ground with a stick, while Sten stared at Dawson, sometimes murmuring things to him. Both had been outfitted by Bodahn Feddic with the only armor that would fit either of them. Sten's was old and heavily battle scarred plate armor, while Leliana was wearing leather rogue armor that was a little bit too short.

"Morning Commander. Did you sleep well?" Leliana asked when she noticed Fallon approach.

"As well as I could." Leliana nodded in response and there was a moment or two of silence before Fallon resumed. "I just came to tell you that we will be at Lake Calenhad soon." Surprisingly, it was Sten who replied.

"We are headed to Lake Calenhad?" He seemed surprisingly enthusiastic.

"Yes, The Circle Tower is located in the center of it. The Mages of…" She was cut off by his gruff voice.

"Where you keep your Saarebas is of no concern to me." He turned back to Dawson without another word.

"Ignore him. He's just a bit upset because I ran out of cookies." Leliana added cheerfully to which Sten only grumbled.

Fallon traded a bit of small talk with Leliana before moving on to talk to The Feddics, who were willing to carry all of the group supplies in exchange for a bit of gold and protection. She had never met a dwarf before and found herself acting like a child whenever they were around, eager to soak up whatever stories Bodahn could dish out. They needed to get moving though, so she simply offered a 'Good Morning' before moving on to wake up Morrigan, likely the most dangerous job in her repertoire. A steady thud of footfalls behind her stopped the elf before she reached the witch's lair, she turned to greet Alistair who showed a bit of concern on his face.

"I'm sorry. I was thinking about it and I just realized…." He said, talking wildly with his hands and avoiding Fallon's eyes

"Realized what? What are you talking about?"

"The Joining, it's a death sentence but not for the reasons you assume." He began and Fallon rattled off a list of reasons in her head. Wardens were warriors and warriors died young. Darkspawn are evil bastards and if your life is devoted to killing them then you'll likely die young. The reasons were all along the same vein. "The Taint, it will kill you, just like it killed Daveth. You have thirty years to live, give or take."

"Wait. You're telling me that no matter how strong I am in battle, no matter how healthy I am, I'm going to die from the Joining in the end? And the Grey Wardens don't tell people this because… why? Recruits wouldn't want to join? They think it's funny? What's the reason for withholding that kind of information from their recruits?" She snapped at him angrily while her brain quickly started repeating the number forty-nine over and over in her head. Whenever Alistair had referred to Warden's dying young she had assumed it meant because they often died in battle. She had never considered for a moment the Joining would inevitably kill them. And for what? Some bad dreams and the ability to sense Darkspawn who can sense you back?

"If people knew the secrets of the Grey Wardens, drinking darkspawn blood and dying from it, no one would do it."

"That's a horseshit answer! Would that have stopped you? Or Daveth? Or…" She was about to inquire about herself but couldn't come up with the answer. She was conscripted into the Wardens. Sure it had been either that or death, but if she had been offered a way out would she have taken it? Fallon had dreamed forever of making a difference and having adventures, but if she was confronted with all the facts and given an opportunity to leave, would she? The elf couldn't say. "The Wardens are liars and manipulators. I should have been told." She remembered back to some of the things Alistair had told her beneath the shade of the Lothering Windmill: die young, can't hold a title, can't get married, can't have children… the list just went on and on. It was a lot to swallow.

"Liars and manipulators that save the world time and time again. I'm sorry that this came as a shock to you Fallon, but you are part of a great order."

"So great that they left command to an elf who doesn't have a damned clue what she's doing? So great that the men in charge are sitting back and relaxing in the Anderfels while people are dying here in Ferelden? Forgive me if I don't feel so lucky at the moment." She stormed off, leaving Alistair standing alone.

* * *

_Kingsway 10__th__, Morning_

The sun began to rise beyond the forest grove and painted the ground in soft pinks and purples. It was a beautiful sight to behold, however they were headed west with the beauty at their back and darkness ahead. It would have been poetic if any of them had noticed.

They were following the West Road toward Lake Calenhad but Fallon still had the map out to be sure the caravan was going in the right direction. The parchment was grubby now. Bits of dirt, some mud, and a stain that looked like dried blood had marred the smooth brown map she had received from Bodahn. Still she clung to the dirty mess tightly, remembering tales of how the West Road swerved perilously and in a matter of moments one could find themselves off track. With a brand new expedition to lead, and people depending on her, Fallon desperately did not want to get them hopelessly lost.

Dawson trotted happily by her side, the rest of the group following steadily after. It was odd how isolated Fallon felt, though she was surrounded by people. Knowing you were dying was a lot to handle. She remembered Dedriee, a middle aged woman that her father had diagnosed with the Wasting Sickness. It was impossible to cure and the woman would die. She remembered seeing her mope around for a few weeks before accepting it and living out the remainder of her life, which sadly wasn't very long. Fallon had years to live, decades even, so why it was bothering her so deeply didn't make any sense.

_Look on the bright side_, she thought to herself, _maybe you'll be killed randomly in battle_. She smiled to herself about the ridiculousness of that statement, and shook her head at how it actually made her feel better. Perhaps it was the knowing when that bothered her, knowing she could never grow to be as old as her father, with his wise fifty years. There was a noise beside her and Fallon looked to see Leliana, with her short red hair and comely good looks.

"I overheard what you and Alistair discussed. I apologize, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"It's fine Leliana. I just feel bad for snapping at Alistair. It isn't his fault that I joined the Grey Wardens."

"He isn't angry with you, just concerned with how you are taking the news."

"I'm fine." Her voice quivered ever so slightly as she imagined the children she'd never see, the husband she'd never have. Being in the Grey Wardens had such a high price and she hadn't considered it until now. She had given up so much. Fallon wasn't even sure if she'd see her family again. She shook her head slightly, trying to shake out the bad thoughts, hating how weak she was.

"You aren't fine. Could I tell you a story?" Fallon nodded in response. "Once their lived two brothers who, in exchange for work they did for an old witch, were granted a wish. The first brother chose to see when he would die, and he discovered that it would be in just a few years. The second brother, upon seeing that his sibling would die young, asked for a long life. The witch granted both wishes and sent the men on their way.

With only a few years to live, the first brother did as much as he could. He adventured with his wife, fathered a son, and when he died he did so knowing he had lived a full life. The second brother, not knowing what the definition of a long life was to the witch, hid inside his house. He was scared of death and wasted his years fearing the end. When it did finally come, the second brother realized that in the few years his eldest brother had lived, he had a greater and better life then himself. Sometimes knowing when you will die can cause you to live even better than before, because you know that there is no time to waste."

"Are you telling me not to waste time being upset?"

"I'm saying that knowing what will kill you just lets you know that you can survive everything else." Leliana smiled. Fallon attempted to reciprocate but failed miserably.

"Thank you Leliana. I would be lying if I said I was fine now but I do feel better. Where did you learn this tale?"

"I was a travelling bard in Orlais. There are two things bards love, songs and stories." Fallon hadn't known this about her companion, but it gave her an idea about how to get rid of the stifling silence.

"Would you mind telling some stories for everyone while we walk?"

"I would love to."

* * *

_Kingsway 12__th__, Late Afternoon _

It took more days of traveling before they reached Lake Calenhad. The West Road bordered the great lake named after the long dead king. From the small peninsula they stood on Fallon could see the spire of the Circle Tower in the distance. It was still a three days walk away but at least they could see it. From this distance their appeared to be nothing wrong with the Tower, but if the Right of Annulment was being called for then there had to be trouble. And that was a week ago. Whatever was happening at the tower they needed to get there fast. Three days walk, two if they didn't take long rests.

With the cool water beckoning just a few feet away and the heavy stench of sweat hovering over the group, Fallon ordered everyone to take a bath. This would likely be the last chance to clean up until they got to the Tower, and although they hadn't run into a single fight on their way there, a week of hard traveling was enough to make anyone reek. Bodahn gave them all soap and Fallon ordered the men to stay there, while the women traveled half a mile downstream and out of sight.

"I am thankful to be rid of those fools. Alistair has not stopped talking for the last hour. If I could curse him, I would have." Morrigan muttered as she shed her clothes immodestly and dove into the water. Leliana was taking her time disrobing as she had a bit more clothing but Fallon stopped after removing her armor.

"Alistair was making a lot of jokes wasn't he?" Leliana added, now completely naked while slipping slowly and gracefully into the water. Fallon's cheeks were as red as her hair. She tried to cover this by taking off her shirt, now dressed only in her small clothes.

"He makes jokes when he's nervous." Fallon added, taking her companions clothes and quickly dunking them in water before ringing them out and allowing them to dry on the rocks. She followed with her own clothes, still leaving the essential pieces on.

"He is nervous because he's a fool leading an army."

"No, he's nervous because Fallon still hasn't spoken to him in the last few days." Leliana explained, dipping her red hair back under the water then flipping her head forward, letting liquid splash everywhere.

"I don't know what to say. Should I apologize? Should I pretend nothing happened? "

"Say something. He thinks you're angry at him." Leliana added as she lathered her hair with some soap. Morrigan carefully undid her bun, allowing her dark tresses to fall across her shoulders. Looking back at the beach, she saw Fallon still sitting there partially dressed.

" 'Tis perfect temperature my dear Warden. Come join us." Morrigan cackled, knowing full well the temperature wasn't the hold up.

"Fallon, we are all women. There's nothing to fear." Leliana added. Fallon shook her head in disgust. She needed to stop thinking like a child. Nudity was nothing to be afraid of, not when you're a Warden. What she needed to fear was darkspawn, war, torture, being burned alive, and all the other terrible things that could happen along their journey. There was absolutely no room in there for fear of nakedness.

"Oh, no I was just washing the clothes. I'll be in, in a minute." She turned her back to remove the remainder of her clothing before quickly jumping into the water. It was clear, but at least provided a modicum of protection. She waded toward her companions, keeping her top half below the chilly surface. "I'd talk to Alistair but I can't help feeling betrayed. I know it wasn't his fault but he's come to represent the Wardens for me, and I lost everything because of them."

"Like your family? I heard that you were conscripted though I didn't hear the story behind it."

"Nor I." Morrigan added after the blue-eyed bard had finished. She looked at Fallon almost expectantly, despite never sharing much of her own personal history.

"Did you leave a husband behind? I noticed your ring. " Leliana added, a question that made Fallon whip around quickly, completely forgetting the soap in her hair. A drop fell into her eye bringing with it a stinging pain and she had to wash the irritant out as she attempted to answer the question. But she never got a chance. Just as Fallon ceased splashing water into her eye she heard a noise. It was barking. Morrigan sneered at the sound.

"Your hound, no doubt. I thought you told him to stay with the men."

"He can't follow orders to save his life. I thought mabari were supposed to be as intelligent as a man."

"And how many men do you know that can follow orders?" Leliana jested as Fallon waded back toward the shore. Sure enough, Dawson stood on the bank, but he was facing the wrong direction, barking angrily at the trees.

"There's no one there Daws. Come into the water with us." Fallon stood on the edge of the lake, only her lowest portion covered by water. Her voice was cheerful and inviting, but still Dawson ignored her. He continued to bark angrily at the trees. Fallon left the water, grabbed her shirt that didn't have time to dry yet and shoved it over her head. She grabbed for her pants as well while hollering for her companions to get out of the water, just as a fire ball erupted to her left. She was knocked backwards onto a rock. With no time, Fallon grabbed the nearest weapon she could, which just so happened to be Leliana's daggers.

A monster broke from the safety of the trees and dashed in her direction. It was almost human in appearance but its skin had melted and bubbled all across its naked body. The thing had thin shreds of clothing dangling from its limbs but Fallon couldn't tell its gender even with its lack of covering. Its entire torso had become a jumbled bubbly mess of melted skin, and Fallon cringed to think it could have ever been a human or elf.

The thing began conjuring another fireball, and Fallon dove at it with her daggers, aiming for the melted face with just a single eyeball. She stabbed at its eye just as it turned, only grazing the disgustingly slimy skin. She gagged. A bit of blood erupted from the minor wound and the creature roared loudly, though it lacked a mouth. It flung Fallon from its body with incredible force. She flew back into the lake, falling beneath the surface and accidentally inhaling some water.

Fallon staggered out of the water, coughing angrily as a naked Leliana with her bow and arrow and a wolf Morrigan attacked the creature. It howled again as Morrigan's fangs tore at its throat, but the thing still didn't die. It fell to the ground momentarily, arrows making it look like a pincushion, but was on its misshapen feet soon enough. Fallon continued to cough as she ran to her swords, the daggers weren't working. As she reached for the blue handles another fireball erupted beside her. This time the explosion sent her spinning sideways, toward the monster.

There was a yell behind them and Fallon turned to see Alistair and Sten approaching. Both were wearing their armor, although it appeared to be hastily thrown on. The qunari prisoner was brandishing his broad sword menacingly but slow. He thrust at the creature, stabbing into its leg. The thing screamed again, flinging Sten off of him. The qunari, all seven feet of him, went flying backwards through the air. He landed hard with a cracking noise.

Alistair used his shield to block an oncoming fireball, which knocked him off his feet and cracked the metal. He was up once more, as both Fallon and a giant spider shaped Morrigan attacked the thing again.

"The heart! You have to stab it in the heart!" Alistair yelled as the creature knocked him down with another fireball. Fallon scoffed at the piece of advice as she slashed its chest with her swords. It bled dark thick liquid that poured like syrup and smelled like death.

"And where is the heart exactly?" Fallon asked as Morrigan grabbed the monster's legs with her pincer, holding it in place as it slashed her exoskeleton with its claws. The spider-witch howled in pain but didn't let go. Fallon thrust both swords into the front disgusting lump that was the monsters chest. It screamed but didn't die. She withdrew her swords as Alistair answered.

"Lower back." Fallon jumped behind the creature as it shook Morrigan from its leg, tossing her into the water. She shoved a sword into the lower back and the monster quit howling instantly. Its life left it and it fell to the ground. Fallon smiled, turning back to Alistair who was rushing toward her yelling. "Move, run away!" She looked at the dead creature, then back at Alistair confused.

The explosion of fire occurred just as Alistair was tackling her, moving her sideways away from the monster who had randomly combusted. His armored body protected both of them from heavy burns, except for Fallon's arm which had been hanging at her side. The flames licked it violently, singeing the sensitive skin. Fallon inadvertently let out a howl as both she and Alistair fell to the ground.

"Thank you." She said through gritted teeth as she fought the pain in her forearm.

"What? Did you think you were the only one who could tackle? "She laughed at his joke before noticing she was dressed only in an over shirt which thankfully covered some of her lower portion, at least all the essential parts.

"What was that thing?" Fallon asked as she hastily got to her feet. Leliana, now dressed, was helping an injured Sten and a recently transformed Morrigan. Fallon crossed the distance to her clothes quickly, grabbing pants and dressing as gracefully as she could with an injured arm.

"An abomination. A mage possessed by a demon. They become… monsters. I've only seen one before. They're hard to kill." Fallon laughed

" Yeah I can see that. How did you know there was something wrong?"

"Dawson. He ran off barking, so we followed him."

"So the Mages' Circle may be worse then we feared." She muttered to herself. "No more resting. We're going to march straight to the Tower. Hopefully we can get there before it's too late." Fallon added, though she feared it might already be.


	11. Old Friends

Chapter 11: _Old Friends_

_Kingsway 13__th__, Evening _

They had ridden for a full day without rest. Fallon sat in the front of the wagon with Bodahn, Sandal, and Alistair. The rest of the group was in the back, holding onto the sides for dear life as the cart raced on at incredible speeds. The wagon was lightened considerably. Everything except the essential food, water, and tents had been dumped. The dwarf merchant was fairly sad to see his goods tossed carelessly onto the West Road, but perked up when Fallon promised to pay for everything they had to leave behind. As they threw out exquisite pieces of heavy armor she knew the tab would be high.

Just as the stars began twinkling in the sky, the cart crested a hill and there was the Circle Tower. Majestic and frightening, the sharp spire scraped at the blackening horizon. It had been erected a few miles out into Lake Calenhad, with a dock and boat nearby acting as the only means to get there. The structure had a large ring of perilous rocks around it, another barricade for any escaping mages. Still, the abomination had been able to get through the defenses somehow.

"Did the ancient mages have something against convenience?" Alistair asked as Bodahn began slowing his horses.

"That and land. If there is one thing mages hate more than convenience its land." Fallon added, straight faced.

"Indeed. I learned this from my years as a templar in training. It's sad. They scream bloody murder at the sight of dirt." Fallon had forgiven him on the long ride. The first hour or so of their expedition was spent with both apologizing profusely and talking over the other. The second hour there was silence as everyone attempted to keep their food down with all the jostling. After that, there was much laughter and joking, much to Morrigan's dismay. Despite them racing to possible doom, it was one of the most laid back days the group had experienced. The site of the Tower had sobered them.

"Stay close Bodahn. We shouldn't be too long. "Fallon jumped down from the cart, a cloud of dust erupted from her landing. She didn't actually have any clue how long they'd take but she feared the dwarf would consider the lot too much trouble and take off. Although, he probably couldn't until he got his money. "Come on."

The troop marched toward the dock in near silence. Sten was a bit wobbly at first, but when Leliana offered to help him walk he simply gave her a dirty look and continued onward very slowly. "People weren't meant to move at such speeds." He muttered angrily. Dawson went to the back in an attempt to cheer him up.

The dock was manned by a mouse faced templar. His hair was a light brown and hadn't been brushed in a few days. He didn't even have a shadow of facial hair on his face, and his awkward demeanor caused Fallon to assume he was young, fourteen or younger. However the moment he spoke he had a man's voice, nasally but deep.

"Halt! No one is allowed to go across to the tower."

"We have business with the Mages. I'm the Grey Warden Commander."

"Ah really…. Well I'm the Queen of Antiva. You still aren't getting over there."

"Ser, this is very important. We heard that the Tower is in trouble and we came to offer our help."

"Very kind of you. Still can't allow you across. I have one job and this is it." He put his hands behind his back and stood up as straight as he could, letting his armor gleam in the moonlight.

"Is there any way we could work this out? We desperately need to cross." Fallon asked, with annoyance in her voice.

"Well… I like the looks of that redhead in the back. You could leave her with me for awhile…" Fallon took a step toward him, scowling angrily.

"Alright, let me stop you there. All of these people are highly trained fighters that aid the Grey Wardens. If you presume to disrespect a single one of them again I will just throw you off the dock. Now your options are these, take us across and be completely quiet while you do, or refuse and I'll steal the boat then complain to your superior officer when I meet him that you stood in the way of official Warden business. You have five seconds."

The row across was quite pleasant. The boat rocked in time to the waves, which broke against the hull and splashed them all in the face. Fallon had always dreamed of visiting Lake Calenhad. She dipped a hand in the water, feeling the coolness against her fingertips, That is, until Leliana began a story about a sea monster that lived there. Then she snapped her fingers back into the boat so quickly she splashed Alistair in the eyes. He looked at her with a devious grin that promised retribution.

Sten had volunteered to stay on the shore. He couldn't fit in the small vessel. While Dawson, who jostled around in the boat so badly they risked capsizing, refused to stay behind no matter how many times she commanded it. As Fallon crossed Calenhad with the Mabari in her lap, she realized why human intelligence in a dog was dangerous. Fallon turned to her companions.

"We don't quite know what could be inside but we all got a little taste with that abomination. Remember, aim for its heart and get out of there as soon as it falls." She held up her burned arm as an example. They had used a health poultice to heal it but Fallon needed some healing magic. She looked at the burned skin and added it to the list of scars she'd acquired since joining this profession. "Stay on your toes and never ever get separated from the rest of the group. I don't care if you're within yelling distance; if I can't see you then you are too far away. Everyone understand?" They all nodded. Fallon ran over the battle plan in her head once more. Alistair could dissipate magic with his templar skills and he has a shield so he was going in front with her. Leliana would be behind them, with a bow and arrow, picking off anyone she could and protecting Morrigan who would be at the very back. It could work, but since this would be the first time they would all be in a true battle situation it was nerve-wracking.

"And here we are. Please get out safely, wouldn't want you to slip." The Templar spoke with blatant sarcasm as he helped Fallon out of the boat. She smiled at him.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to tell the Knight Commander how helpful you were." It wasn't sarcastic. She was being honest.

"Oh… well… Thank you. Here, let me help you all up the steps."

* * *

The entrance hall of the Tower was filled with Templars. Some were running around with important objectives or searching for something to do. Some stood in silence, looking frightened or sad, and others were howling in pain on the floor. A minute after they entered the building a man with heavy burns all over his body died, despite medics attempts to heal him. Fallon blocked out the symphony of other howls, knowing that could be their fate as well and instead set her sights on the leader, a bearded man issuing orders. Alistair whispered the man's name into her ear as she approached.

"Knight Commander Greagoir, I'm Fallon Tabris of the Grey Wardens. We came to the Mages Tower in search of aid for the Blight, but it seems you need our aid more."

"Wardens? Well I'm afraid you won't find any assistance here. The Tower has been lost for awhile now. As for your aid, I doubt it would do much good. I appreciate your concern." He began to turn away from them. Fallon stopped him.

"Please ser. I don't think the Rite of Annulment is necessary. Surely there are survivors in the Tower..."

"If there were survivors when we retreated they have long since died. The Circle is overrun with demons and abominations. There is no hope for them and none for you if you attempt a rescue. I'm sorry." He began turning away once more. Fallon took out a piece of aged parchment.

"Knight Commander,it is our right to do what we must to recruit help for the Blight. This treaty forces the mages to comply. I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to stand in the way of us rescuing very important soldiers for the upcoming battle. Now if you help us, perhaps we will all be able to get what we want, restoration of the Mages Circle." Greagoir looked her over for a moment before nodding.

"It happened when the mages returned from Ostagar. There was a meeting with the Enchanters and something happened. When I was roused from sleep everything had already fallen apart, blood mages had already called demons, and abominations were showing up everywhere. I ordered my men to retreat." He shook his head sadly. "If you go in we will have to lock the door behind you. I won't open it again until you have Senior Enchanter Irving to say everything is alright."

"And what if the Senior Enchanter is already dead?" Fallon asked tentatively.

"I'm afraid you'll suffer the Rite of Annulment along with all the others."

* * *

The silence was eerie and deafening. The minute the stone doors had thud shut behind them there was nothing but empty quiet. Fallon didn't know what the Tower had looked like before but she assumed it had been in much better condition. Rooms showed signs of having their doors ripped off its hinges and piles of wood encouraged the theory. There were burn marks and blood on many walls though no sign of people. She had expected to find some dead bodies but there weren't any, just piles of debris they had left behind. After the tenth room filled with nothing but books and a single vial of poison, Morrigan stopped Fallon and took her aside.

"I have been meaning to speak with you since we entered the Tower. Long ago, my mother lost a great book of spells to a particularly tenacious templar. She has often lamented its loss, but now that we are here…."

"Why do you want it?"

"My mother is ancient and her knowledge is vast, but she hordes it. If I could get the grimoire I believe my abilities would increase significantly."

"I'll have everyone keep an eye out…"

"No. I need it to be just you and myself. I don't trust the others with this knowledge." Fallon nodded, she understood why Morrigan was so hesitant. Living with only one emotionally abusive person your whole life, while all your visitors are templars attempting to kill you, would make anyone wary. "It would be an important book so I believe the best place to search for it is in the First Enchanter's office." Fallon nodded again, promised Morrigan she'd find it, then motioned for everyone to move out.

Not two minutes later, they encountered a group of survivors. Five or six mages with several children of varying ages sat huddled in a large room, protected on one side by a blue wall of light. The shimmering wall was beautiful, and slightly transparent. As they entered the room, the mages turned hostile, pointing their staffs at the group, frightened and desperate.

"Well this isn't the greeting I was expecting." Alistair muttered.

"The poor things are frightened." Leliana added, voice dripping with compassion.

"What are you doing here? I thought all the Grey Wardens had died at Ostagar." The speaker was Wynne, whose staff wasn't trained on them but looked agitated and tired none-the-less. Fallon was excited to see the woman she had only met briefly, friendly faces were always welcome.

"Wynne! It's good to…"

"I do not care who you are. I need to know what you are doing here." The old woman stood proud and defiant as she cut down Fallon's comment.

"The Knight Commander let us enter so we may rescue any mages left alive. If we don't return with the First Enchanter he intends to use the Rite of Annulment." Gasps and inaudible shouts ricocheted around the room; one of the older children began crying. "Let me through that barrier and I promise I will find a way to rescue you all."

"Your words are brave, Warden, but have you ever battled an abomination? Or a demon? Have you ever been through the tower on a regular day? No you need help. I'll go with you."

"Wynne, is that wise? You were so badly hurt earlier?" A woman with brown hair asked.

"I am fine. I need you to keep the children safe, I will be back shortly with Irving." She moved toward the barrier, Fallon stopped her.

"Wynne, I don't think it's a good idea that you come with us. We have…"

"…never been in a real battle before. I do not mean to undermine your authority Warden, but you need me, and I need to protect my students. Either I come with you or the barrier isn't coming down." The way Wynne spoke made Fallon feel like a child. She attempted to piece together what was left of her pride.

"If you promise to obey my orders, I promise that I will listen to your counsel." Wynne nodded, and moved toward the barrier. A thin sheen of sweat developed on her brow as she focused her attention on bringing it down. Her staff rose and she began speaking words and incantations that Fallon couldn't understand. The color of the shield began fluctuating as it died slowly. In a matter of seconds, it blinked out of existence completely.

"I'm surprised I was able to maintain it for that long… marvelous." Wynne mused to herself as she led the way through the door way. Fallon's companions looked at her and she nodded, telling them silently to follow the enchanter.

That was when they started seeing the bodies. Just on the other side of the barrier there were dead people and parts all over the place. A woman not much older than Fallon leaned against one wall, while her lower half was leaning against the opposite one, a trail of organs and blood connected them. Fallon thought she'd lose her dinner, before remembering she hadn't eaten in awhile. Still her stomach lurched at the grisly sight.

"Do you know what happened here?" Fallon asked Wynne, who shook her head before speaking.

"I was teaching the children astronomy. We were heading to the top of the tower to chart stars when fighting erupted in the halls. Blood mages have taken over the Tower."

"I've heard others say this as well. What is wrong with blood magic?" Fallon asked, painfully aware of her naivety. Alistair answered her.

"They use blood to power their spells, not lyrium like most mages, but it doesn't have to be their own blood. And they can take away your free will. Blood mages are able to get inside your head, make you do things you don't want to do." Fallon wondered how many of those fighting originally had actually wanted it, she imagined how it would feel to have no control over what your body did but still be forced to witness the atrocities.

"I apologize for earlier, Fallon. I did not know if you were friend or foe. Any number of things could have happened since Ostagar."

"I understand, but how did you escape?"

"Mages are staged far from the battle. When everything seemed lost, we left. It was terrible to see so many people perish."

"Did you see what happened to the Grey Wardens?" Alistair asked, his voice sounded conflicted.

"I did, but I don't think it's best that I repeat it, especially in our current location." She gestured to another mangled corpse in the hallway as they walked.

"Did any of them survive?" Alistair continued. Fallon saw the glimmer of hope and denial in his eyes, but she desperately wanted Duncan to be alive too. Wynne nodded.

"You two survived and I count Ferelden very lucky that you did. I…" Wynne stopped speaking, and put a finger to her lips, the others quieted immediately, even Dawson quit panting. Arguing could be heard in the next room, three or four different voices bickering back and forth. Only a few sentences were audible, but enough for the group to realize blood mages were on the other side of the wall.

"Uldred promised…"

"Freedom, and if we don't get out of this tower we won't be free. They'll kill us just like…"

"How can you even say that? Look at what he did! We can't leave yet. We need to…"

"…I'm not staying another second, you know what they do to maleficar."

"Perhaps we should just…"

"_Shshh_, I heard something." One of them finished quite audibly. It was time for an attack. Fallon turned to her group, just as Alistair shield bashed her out of cover. The blood mages began yelling as Fallon tumbled into their midst. There were six, she had estimated incorrectly. Fallon stabbed the first one through the heart before he had a chance to conjure anything. She sliced the wrist of a second mage down to the bone before realizing the woman could use the wound to augment her power. The mage sent Fallon sprawling again, knocking her back with a wave of invisible energy. She felt her ankle twist beneath her and something inside her leg tore, ribbons of pain enveloped the area. Then, just as quickly, a soft blue light attacked her ankle. At first Fallon panicked, but the light brought relief from her pain. She could feel tendons and bone knitting back together painlessly. Fallon turned to see where Wynne was only to be punched in the face by a mailed fist. Blood exploded from her torn lip. She swung her sword blindly, hoping to knock down her opponent, only to pull it at the last moment. The assailant was Alistair.

She had assumed him bashing her was an accident but it was obvious now that something was wrong. She jumped away as he attempted to shield bash her again. An expertly shot arrow lodged itself in Alistair's shoulder. He didn't scream in pain, but the projectile clearly agonized him. As he turned on Leliana, a jolt of magic paralyzed him, sending the man sprawling to the floor. Morrigan laughed as he collapsed. Fallon was forced to leave him behind, turning back to the five remaining mages.

Dawson distracted one of them, ripping at its robes and exposed flesh until it sent him flying with a fireball. The dog landed hard, fur singed slightly. The mage brought a knife from inside his robes and went to slice his wrist, intending to make it bleed more profusely, when Fallon sent two mirrored slices across his unarmored chest. The man made a noise, then went down.

An arrow riddled the mage corpse beside Fallon, but the others had grown wise and erected barriers. Both Morrigan and Wynne were concentrating on breaking them down. They bombarded one barrier with fireballs and rock projectiles until it broke. Fallon moved in quickly to dispose of the man, before Alistair tackled her. Her fellow Grey Warden was almost twice her size but seemed conflicted about whether he wanted to pin her down, so Fallon was able to get an arm loose and punch him in the ear. The blow disoriented him, knocking him sideways off of her. Fallon jumped to her feet, blocking with both swords as Alistair swung at her. She looked to Leliana, hoping she'd distracted Alistair again, only to find the former sister pointing her weapon towards Fallon. She dodged just in time and the projectile hit the mage lacking a barrier, distracting her long enough for Dawson and a wolf shaped Morrigan to attack.

Fallon ducked as another arrow came her way. Alistair swung at her, getting a glancing blow that caught on her armor but still managed to knock the wind from her lungs. She turned on him and bashed him in the face with the pommel of her sword, he stumbled back, nose broken. Then Fallon turned on the remaining two mages, an older man and a dark skinned woman with a wrist injury. Wynne had removed the barrier of the man. Just as Fallon went to attack, the woman behind him dropped her own barrier, grabbed a knife from her sleeve and stabbed him in the back, before collapsing on the floor. The elf heard a groan behind her, and turned to see a conscious Alistair attempting to get to his feet. She rushed to his side since the threat was now over.

" I am so sorry. I am so so sorry. Please forgive me Fallon, I never meant to hurt you." Alistair said, wrapping his arms around her when she helped him up. She returned his embrace, glad to have him back.

"I didn't mean to hurt you either. All you gave me was a bruise; I gave you a broken nose." She said, extracting from the hug to inspect his face. Blood ran down it, and his formerly straight bridge was now crooked. He touched her own face where bruises were starting to form. She could feel her cheek and eye beginning to puff up. He smiled.

"I guess that answers the question of which of us would win in a fight." He laughed, followed by a wince as he began feeling the pain in his face.

"Hold still both of you. Let me heal you." Wynne said as she approached with a shaken Leliana and a freshly dressed Morrigan.

"I can't believe that happened. I'm so sorry Fallon. I did not mean to shoot at you."

"Blood magic is powerful. There is nothing the two of you could have done. We just need to be thankful that no one was hurt." Wynne healed Alistair as she spoke.

Meanwhile, Fallon wandered a few steps away to loot the dead bodies. She hated that this had to be done, but her debt to Bodahn wouldn't pay itself. She walked up to the body of the mysterious mage who killed her own companion, reached into the pocket of her robe. There wasn't much there, just a few coins. As she withdrew her hand fingers wrapped around her wrist, a vice grip, from a person Fallon assumed was dead. The woman held Fallon there with her right hand, removing her hood with the left. The woman had dark skin, beautiful and smooth, and hair as white as an old man, but she was young. She had the pointed ears of an elf and bright silver eyes. Fallon recognized her instantly. Zetheria Surana, her friend.

"One of them is alive?" Leliana asked as she approached Fallon, who wrenched her arm away from Z and stood up.

"Apparently." She was trying to decide what she should do with the woman. Originally intent on rescuing her, but Zetheria was a blood mage now. Life just grew more difficult all the time. The other three joined them. Alistair's nose was straight once more.

"Please let me live. I just want freedom that's all." Z said as she struggled to get her feet beneath her.

"The people you killed didn't want to die either."

"I didn't kill anyone, except Adem. And I only did that to release your friends. I didn't want this. Uldred lied to us."

"And what did he say?"

"Uldred told us that the Circle would support Loghain and Loghain would help free us from the Chantry. You don't understand how terrible it is, to never be free, to be denied basic things others enjoy daily."

"And blood magic is the only solution?"

"The minute I realized what he was doing I stopped supporting him. That's what we were arguing about when you came in. Listen, Uldred accepted help from a demon, he's an abomination now. He took a bunch of mages up to the Harrowing Chamber. Please let me help stop him, it's the least I can do."

"She's a blood mage. They're dangerous. You saw what she did to me and Leliana." Alistair said still bristling from the mention of Loghain. Leliana nodded.

"Maleficar are dangerous. You cannot inflict another one on Ferelden. It would be more merciful to kill this woman now." Leliana added.

"This is what happens when mages allow themselves to be corralled. Eventually they turn against their masters. You circle slaves are disgusting." Morrigan finished with crossed arms and a scoff.

"Please. I won't kill anyone. I just want a chance to fix this. Wynne, you know me, I wouldn't have done this if there was no other choice."

"Do not tell me that, Zetheria. There is always another choice. I have seen what your kind has done. The hall is strewn with the blood and bodies of their choices."

"Theirs, not mine. I have seen the bodies too, and I just need a chance to fix this. Give me a chance to redeem myself."

"I'm not going to kill her." Fallon spoke up. Z let out a sigh of relief. "She will get her chance to atone."

"Fallon, that isn't wise. She is a blood mage. One almost used Alistair to kill you." Wynne spoke in a soft voice, but the concern couldn't be hidden in the words.

"A different one, not this one. We cannot hold her accountable for their sins." She offered a hand to the white haired mage, and helped her up. "I'm going to let you redeem yourself, but you will still have to submit to the Templars after this is over."

"I understand. Thank you stranger, you are too generous." Fallon nodded at the compliment. Either she was too generous or too stupid.


	12. The Vhenadahl

Chapter 12: The Vhenadahl

Fallon rolled over to find herself in her old bed, lumpy, comfortable and smelling of straw. She wore the plain cotton nightclothes common in the Alienage. Her feet were bare and her hair was undone in a dangled mess on her pillow. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the light, she noticed Shianni's feet dangling in front of her. Her cousin sat reading on the bunk above. Fallon rolled her eyes, shook her head and jumped out of bed.

"Enough with the damned dreams! I'm tired of it." She was furious, cursing whoever was causing her this confusion.

"Did you have a bad dream, Cousin?" Shianni didn't look up from her novel as she spoke.

"I'm having one." Shianni laughed at her, but when it was reciprocated, put down her book.

"Oh you weren't jesting?"

"No, I wasn't. I can feel this… it isn't real." Shianni looked at her slightly disturbed before jumping down from her roost.

"Let me get Uncle Cyrion. You must have bumped your head or something I…" Shianni reached toward Fallon's forehead with her wrist, touching it lightly with her thin skin.

"No. Stop it. I've recognized what this is… now let me wake up."

"Okay now I'm really going to get Uncle Cyrion. Just… sit back down for a second." Fallon didn't obey. She allowed the false Shianni to get out of the room before grabbing some leggings and dressing quickly. All she needed was to find the darkspawn and she'd be able to shock herself awake. As she pulled the coarse fabric over her leg she could feel each fiber. It grated against her smooth skin. It almost felt… real. She shook her head clear. This wasn't real… there was something…. Fallon could almost remember but her thoughts were like tadpoles in a bucket, each time she got close to grasping one it slipped away, scurrying back into its dusky waters.

There was no one in the house so she decided to make a run for it. Why she was running from her family Fallon couldn't remember, but she knew that each second she stayed inside the dwelling she felt heavier. A thick woolen blanket seemed to envelope her, pressing down harder with every moment, and she feared that if she didn't get air soon, she would suffocate.

There weren't many people on the streets as it was still quite early in the morning and the gates were very clearly closed on the opposite side of the Alienage Bridge. All she needed was air, she didn't need to escape, just fresh air, away from the muck and heaviness. Fallon did the only thing she could think to do, climb the Vhenadahl.

Each Alienage had a Vhenadahl, or The Tree of the People. In ancient times, when elves were slaves to humans and Alienages were their pens, the tree was a symbol of freedom and hope. Now it had become nothing more than a tree with special privileges, no one was allowed to cut it down, no one was allowed to climb it, and no one could remember why. Valendrian, their hahren, just made sure everyone practiced this, not knowing what made the tree special himself. However, the children of the Alienage rarely listened. Occasionally graffiti would show up on the base of the behemoth tree, sometimes a brave person would rip leaves off its branches as a trophy, and the really brave ones would climb it in the dark. Fallon and Soris had been these brave ones. Whenever things were tough, when Shianni was ill, when they got in trouble, when their parents fought, the duo would run off to the tree and climb it, safe with the knowledge that no one could find them if they didn't want to be found. It was complete freedom, and the two understood the tree better than anyone. The last time they climbed its branches was the day Adaia died. They wanted to escape the noise of her execution.

But now Fallon climbed just to get a breath, to get a thought in her brain that wasn't confused or muddled. She wasn't seeking freedom, she wanted facts and hoped the vhenadahl would provide it. She was in the high branches only a few minutes before Soris joined her.

"Fallon, you really should come down. Uncle Cyrion is worried. You should have seen how scared Shianni was."

"I can't Soris… I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I can't remember what. It's on the tip of my tongue but my mind can't put it all together."

"I heard you thought this was a dream. I just wanted to make sure you weren't attempting to fly or anything." He said with a cautious smile. Fallon smiled back.

"I know this isn't a dream… I was just… confused" And growing more so every minute. The thick smothering blanket hadn't lifted when she left the house. The tree offered no reprieve.

"Well come down then, I need a word with you." With those words the fake Soris sent something tumbling back.

* * *

_Kingsway 13__th__, Evening_

"I need a word with you." Zetheria said as they left the blood mages chamber behind. "Are your companions going to be an issue?" She eyed them cautiously, wiping blood away from a small knick on her face.

"They trust me, and I trust that you won't waste this opportunity."

"Spare me the condescension; I'm three months older then you."

"Wait… you… do you remember who I am?" Fallon felt a mix between happiness at the notion and dread at the possible consequences.

"Of course. Fallon, I've had three friends my entire life, and you were the only girl. Did you really think that would be so easy to forget?" Zetheria gave her that almost crooked smile she remembered quite well. They played in the dirt, got into mischief, teased Soris, and Z always smiled with one dimple just a bit higher than the other.

"It's been awhile, I just never expected you to remember. I've changed a bit from the last time we met…"

"Only a bit, you look just like Adaia now. Tell me, how is your mother?" The words cut Fallon like a knife. Z had only been eight when she was taken by Templars, she didn't know, but still it was painful.

"She died. A few years after you left."

"No… I'm sorry… I was going to ask… nevermind." The white haired mage pulled her cloak up around her once more, quickly like she was afraid of catching a chill.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"About knowing you? What, and risk whatever this … Actually, what is this… are you a mercenary, a soldier…?"

"A Grey Warden, actually."

"Well …Warden, thank you for rescuing me. You won't regret it."

They left the blood mages corpses behind and ventured into the hallway. The stone walls were beautiful and glittered with quartz as the group walked. Fallon had always wanted to go to the mages tower, and besides the occasional splash of blood or gruesome body, it was as magnificent as she imagined. The architecture alone was enough to take anyone's breath away, coupled with the magic in the air, it was glorious to behold. The only architectural marvel they held in the Alienage was the bridge to get out of it. Even Fallon's house, finely built in comparison to the others, was little more than a hovel.

* * *

Her mind slipped away once more and Fallon saw Soris' smiling face. He was close to her now, touching her hand, trying to calm her down.

"I remember… something. Something about Grey Wardens." She said, shaking her head to return the memories.

"Yes, Duncan remember? He came and rescued you from the guards…"

"And recruited me? Yes I…"

"No, he talked them out of punishing you. You just returned the stolen goods and…"

"Wait, stolen goods? I killed Vaughan Urien." Soris observed her for a moment then began laughing so hard he almost fell from his tree. He had to release her hand and stabilize himself on a branch.

"Killed the Arl's son? I don't think so. You stole some food and we were forced to reschedule your marriage."

"Nelaros isn't dead?"

"Of course not. He's very much alive and eager to marry you." None of this made any sense. She would never steal anything and Grey Wardens were supposed to remain neutral about such things anyway. Duncan couldn't have begged for leniency, only conscripted her or forced her to suffer the consequences. Something was very wrong and she needed to figure out what before the fake Soris realized.

"Good. Let's just sit here a moment and enjoy the day. Then I'll go talk to father." She covered her face with her hands, seeking to remember.

* * *

_Kingsway 13__th__, Night _

The library was exquisite. More books then Fallon had ever seen in her lifetime, more then she could ever hope to read even if she abandoned the Wardens and began right now. It was beautiful and intimidating all at the same time.

"It's amazing the mages were even able to plot a rebellion. How did they ever have free time?" Alistair added with a light chuckle.

"I am amazed they did not simply fling themselves off the tower and end their meaningless existence." Morrigan added while petting Dawson. The dog had taken a liking to everyone it seemed.

"There are likely enemies in here. You would all do well to be silent until we know." Wynne added, voice slightly irritated. Alistair nodded and silently walked toward Fallon, who hadn't spoken much since pardoning Z. When he got close, he leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Morrigan is going to get us killed. Insulting Circle Mages in front of two of them seems like a bad idea to me."

"You know her. She doesn't have any social tact, has something to do with being raised in the wilderness."

"I'd say it had something to do with being raised by an abomination, but that's just me." He leaned even closer to her ear, breath tickling her neck. "I have something to give you. Remind me when we get out of here. I left my pack with Bodahn."

"…if he hasn't taken off. I'm sorry but he may have stolen whatever this gift of yours is."

"I certainly hope not. I went through great pain to acquire it." He smiled again. "You'll see when we get back."

They all ventured farther into the massive library. Enormous bookshelves rose two stories into the air. They formed a tight hallway and caused Fallon to feel claustrophobic. The sweet smell of old parchment reached her nostrils, followed quickly by another smell, a stench of rotten corpses and dead men. They passed a pile of dead templars. Some had been boiled inside their metal armor, others were ripped apart by a terrible force. Fallon stopped at the sight. She glanced over at her companions. Leliana wore leather armor, the mages all wore cloth, she wore chainmail and leather, while Alistair wore metal splint. Whatever they were about to walk into, it would roast him alive before they even got a chance to attack. Fallon grabbed up some leather armor from a dead man without a face. It was old, rough, but would insulate his body from the intense heat. She handed the leather chest piece to him.

"Here, pull this over your armor. We don't want the same thing to happen to you." She motioned toward the templar bodies. Alistair nodded and began pulling the leather tunic, which was several sizes too large, over his head.

"Well maybe _you _don't…" Morrigan added with a smile.

"At least she cares about _me_, Morrigan. You're just wearing some threads and she isn't offering you any armor."

"Enchanted threads, my dimwitted companion."

"Is this how it always is?" Z asked.

"Most of the time," Leliana answered, polite and uncomfortable, "But you eventually learn to tune it out."

With his leather armor on, Fallon nodded at the group, made a motion to stay silent, and they began venturing farther into the library. It was essentially a maze, but Wynne and Z were able to help them maneuver it. They knew what passages ended abruptly, and guided them through the shelves with ease.

It wasn't until they neared the door that they were ambushed. Five abominations, lead by a demon in physical form. It was as if fire and ash had suddenly gained sentience. The creature looked like a mix between a snake and a slug, with sharp claws that it quickly used to slash across Alistair's shield. The Abominations sent fire balls hurling in all directions as everyone attempted to make it to cover. Leliana managed to get off two arrows before having to hide, one hitting the bookshelf, the other lodging itself in an abomination's heart. It fell and combusted into flames. Fallon shook her head in sadness; the poor templars didn't have a chance.

The demon sent out a funnel of flame, guarding the abominations as they moved toward the hiding warriors. The fire licked at the bookshelves, igniting some of the loose parchment and devouring them instantaneously. It spread from there. While Fallon tried to figure out how to stop the demon Wynne already had. She launched icy wind in its direction, stopping the burning of the books and freezing the molten creature into obsidian. It fell and shattered into a million shiny black rocks. A tiny piece of shrapnel grazed Fallon's face, but offered only a superficial slice. As she abandoned her cover she noticed the larger rocks lodged in the self wood on the other side, sharp as daggers.

She ran at full force toward the abomination nearest to her. It reacted to this attack by charging. Fallon quickly sidestepped and it plunged itself fully onto Alistair's sword, which shot through its back and punctured its mutant heart. As Alistair dislodged his sword, Fallon attacked the next Abomination. Soon the remaining three were on her, swiping with deadly force. She ducked and slashed as best she could but they outnumbered her. Dawson rushed in to help. He grabbed at their legs and tore at their robes, while they completely ignored him. A talon caught hold of Fallon's chainmail and dragged her close as the other creatures readied a fireball. The spell was interrupted by a large boulder, hurtling into the abomination holding Fallon. Then the ground began to shake beneath their feet and they were all thrown to the floor. Wynne laughed as she got up.

"That one got away from me." She cast another freezing spell, immobilizing the abomination beside the elf Warden. Fallon took the opportunity to stab its lower back, but missed its heart. When she withdrew her sword to stab it again the creature began screaming. It fell to the floor, writhing in agony. Not a second later lightning struck, stopping its heart.

By then Alistair was beside her and they fought the remaining two abominations easily. The mages and archer gave them cover, and whenever an attack was attempted Alistair hid behind his shield and Fallon rolled away. They were dead in no time, combusting along with the others. The Warden Commander turned her sights on Z, who was smiling at a job well done.

"What did you do to that abomination?" Since there were no abominations left, Fallon simply pointed at the singe marks on the floor.

"I killed it. That was the plan wasn't it?" Zetheria added, removing her hood again.

"It started screaming, like it was in pain. What were you doing?" Fallon asked. Zetheria shifted uncomfortably, but held her head high and maintained eye contact.

"It's dead. What does it matter?" She explained. "I… disabled it."

"Yes, but how? How did you disable it?"

"By… boiling its blood."

"That's barbaric." Leliana gave out a gasp.

"Yes, Chantry puppet, but it got the job done didn't it?" She spat venomously at the red haired rogue.

"Enough. I don't care who it is, there won't be any cruel treatment of our enemies."

"When our enemies are mindless, murderous husks I don't see what the problem is?"

"The problem is that we are not going to stoop to their level. It doesn't matter how terrible they are, we are not them."

"And what if I refuse?" Z crossed her arms, looking thoroughly defiant. The Warden Commander remembered that stubborn glare, she'd given it to her mother once while Fallon was with her. After binding a vicious dog that had mauled her little brother, Zetheria had refused to take responsibility. Eventually the dog's owners gave up searching for the culprit. Fallon sighed, knowing the next few sentences out of her mouth wouldn't quell the woman's indignation.

"If you refuse…. then I will be forced to ask Alistair to drain your magic and you will follow us the rest of the way through this tower as our prisoner." Fallon tried to make it sound like that was the last thing she wished to do, but Z's eyes still registered intense pain, followed by fury.

"You brought a templar with you! A templar! Don't you know what they have done to this place? They rape, and beat, and torture mages. They are everything that is wrong in this world. "She was practically screaming now, anger reflecting in her piercing silver eyes.

"Now Zetheria, calm down. That is just not true. The templars are here to protect the mages from endangering themselves. You have seen how easy it is for our fellows to succumb to possession." Wynne walked toward her former student, putting a hand on her shoulder. Zetheria shoved it off without question.

"They were sent by the Chantry to keep us here. Prevent us from living a normal life just because of our abilities." She was practically shaking with rage. Fallon saw the look on Alistair's face. He was concentrating, trying to decide whether or not to leach away her magic. "What about your son Wynne? Remember when you told me about how they ripped him from your arms? How can you say the Templars are good after all they've done to you?"

"Zetheria! I don't care if you agree with my methods, or if you agree with the company I keep! All I need is for you to follow my orders and I am ordering you to cease using blood magic or else Alistair will stop you himself. Do you understand me?" She glared at Fallon for a long time, before nodding slowly, too seething mad to even vocalize an answer. "Good… Let's move out." Alistair shot her a glance but Fallon pretended she didn't notice. She could already tell what Alistair was thinking and she was actually wondering the same thing.

* * *

"Is she dangerous?"

"Who?" Soris asked, looking slightly disturbed. Fallon went to answer then shook her head in frustration. Every time she crafted a thought it escaped her. _Something about this place_. She glanced over the Alienage and it looked the same as always. Same rundown buildings, same piles of garbage in the streets, same dirty children picking pockets, but something felt different.

"I don't know. Maker, why can't I get rid of this haze?"

"Maybe you are sick, but you really shouldn't be in this tree. We aren't children anymore. I doubt Valendrian will be so forgiving now." Fallon smiled, he was right of course. She shouldn't be in the tree. In fact all of this was incredibly silly. She probably just ate something bad. That could explain the haze.

"Alright, let's climb down." The two began descending, wrapping their fingers around the sturdy upper branches and easing toward the ground. But something shocked Fallon into clear thinking one final time, her knuckle scraped across the rough bark of the upper branches. Her skin caught and bunched, blood welled up, and her memories returned again.

* * *

_Kingsway 14__th__, Early Morning_

The abomination grabbed a hold of her hand, attempting to crush the use from it. One sword had been flung across the room by a bewitched templar before he was killed by Morrigan. The other was gripped in Fallon's bad hand, useless as the abomination slowly broke her bones and destroyed her metal gloves. The pain was searing. The pain of her dislocated shoulder should have numbed her to the broken fingers, but it didn't. Everyone else was preoccupied; she was on her own for this one.

The Circle Chantry had been an ambush. Whether the demons, abominations and cursed templars had known they would arrive was uncertain, but they seemed prepared. The death bringers had surrounded them, separated them, and attempted to slaughter them.

After another bone breaking squeeze Fallon was forced to release her sword. It clattered to the floor, signaling her imminent death. Her mind went to the sight of the torn mage in the hall and wondered how it would feel to be ripped in half. Then she thought of Alistair, and the gift he'd never give her. The abomination put his other hand on her face, fingernails digging into her skin, piercing the soft flesh. A single drop of blood welled up on her forehead and ran down into her eye. He grumbled something, but Fallon couldn't understand. She prayed to the Maker and waited. For what, she didn't know.

Then the creature started screaming in agony, it dropped Fallon quickly. Her legs crumpled beneath her, but she didn't waste the opportunity. With her good hand she retrieved her fallen sword and thrust it into the wailing beast. After its heart had stopped she left it to combust, turning to her savior with a scowl.

"What did you do? I told you not to use that spell." She asked Z as she pulled off her broken gauntlets, wincing from the incredible pain.

"That is twice today I've used it to save your life. Maybe blood magic isn't so bad after all." Zetheria said snidely.

"No it is Z. All of this." She gestured to the carnage in the Chantry. "This is all possible because of blood magic. You can't fight fire with more fire."

"I didn't, I used blood." She scowled at her old friend, who frowned back. This was proving much more difficult then she thought it would. "That's twice I've saved your life today Fallon, using my magic. Maybe our roles should be reversed." During their argument the fighting had ended and Wynne was checking everyone over for injuries. Morrigan, with her immense pride, refused to let the Circle Mage touch her. While they bickered, the two city elves were left alone.

"You want to be a Grey Warden, be my guest. It's a lot harder than it looks."

"So is being a mage. Stop treating me like a monster."

"No one has treated you like a monster, Zetheria. You just feel like one. I understand why you did what you did, but now is time to make amends. Stop fighting the only ally you have."

"Stop giving me reasons to fight you." She stalked away and Fallon sat on an overturned stone column, waiting for Wynne to finish her healings. Dawson, sensing her distress as only a dog could, trotted over and placed his head on her lap. She slowly stroked his oily fur, looking around at yet another successful battle. That was when she noticed the hole in the stone, offering a glimpse into the next room. She stood up and walked toward it with Dawson trotting at her heels.

The room next to them was clear of creatures. It was small but had many bookshelves and a large desk in the center. To the side, Fallon notice a peculiar looking chest, dark and foreboding, but obviously protecting something important.

"Leliana just gave me another 'I was sent by the Maker' speech. The girl is sweet but she seems… " Fallon jumped at Alistair's voice, so deep in thought she wasn't paying attention.

"One archdemon short of a Blight?"

"Yes but in a nice 'Ooh… shiny…' kind of way. Not like 'I am Princess Stabbity! Stab, Stab, kill kill.' " Fallon gestured at a bewitched templar with Leliana's dagger in his eye. Alistair rolled his eyes "Well she doesn't stab US."

"Walk with me, I'm going into that room."

"And the others?" He handed her a health poultice which she uncorked and drank as quickly as her throat would allow. It wasn't the same as good magic but at least it could alleviate the pain.

"They are healing. We will just be a moment. I've already checked for enemies." She began walking toward the exit.

"Fine, but just let me point out that you are breaking your own rules."

There were no hidden monsters waiting for them in the office, just numerous books scattered across the floor. Fallon was drawn to the dark chest in the corner, like a moth to a flame, footsteps echoing across the stone floors of the office.

"It's hard to believe I could have been here, if things had been different." Alistair mused as he looked through the books on the shelves. Fallon had reached the metal chest and knelt in front of it, running her hands along the edges. "That could have been my eye with Leliana's dagger in it."

"Well the days not over yet. Why don't you go tell her how crazy she is?" She smiled and Alistair gave a small laugh. The chest didn't have a lock surprisingly, and it took Fallon a few moments to realize it wasn't trapped or cursed.

"Do you believe what Zetheria said? About the Templars? I mean, can it really be that terrible here at the tower?" She began opening the chest, it was heavier then she anticipated.

"Some of it is surely just prejudice, but this uprising wouldn't have happened if everything she said was a lie."

"Who knew I could be even happier about Duncan rescuing me from the Templars?" He smiled to himself, shaking his head at the irony of life. "Here, let me help you with that." Alistair left his bookshelf and took one side of the chest lid while Fallon took the other. Together they lifted the heavy metal off, revealing inside a single black leather-bound book. It was small and Fallon quickly grabbed it up. She turned back to Alistair, who was about to ask something.

"I'm really glad you are here. I could never do this without you. Have I ever told you that before?"

"Of course you couldn't. Your weak little elf arms couldn't hope to lift the lid off that thing…. I'm jesting, I'm jesting…We already know who would win in a fight thanks to our maleficar friends… Please don't hit me." He smiled and feigned fear. Fallon playfully punched his armor anyway, immediately regretting it as her unhealed right hand erupted in anguish.

"I'm serious. I'm glad it was you who went up to that tower with me. If it had to be like this… I'm thankful it was you." Fallon snuck the book to Dawson. He quickly trotted away; already knowing to who the book belonged . "Anyway, we need to hurry up. This is only the second floor. We have several to go."

The third floor was an absolute mess. Besides the normal decorations of bodies, blood, and fire, Fallon noticed something else. Across the walls and occasionally spilling onto the floor was an odd pink substance. It looked out of place, silently pulsing in the corner, connected to nothing but stone. When they came upon a large bubble of the stuff Fallon's curiosity got the better of her. She ran her bare finger along its smooth surface, slightly slick with something otherworldly. It was soft and squishy, feeling the way the inside of one's cheek does when prodded with their tongue. She pushed at it slightly with her finger and it pushed back at her equally but the thing never burst open. It did nothing but lay there, coating the walls like pulsing paint.

"I feel a great presence. Something powerful has been released here." Morrigan whispered to Fallon who stopped her bubble prodding.

"Are you going to touch every disgusting thing we come upon? Because if that's part of the job description, I think I'll be changing careers." Alistair added.

"It is corruption. It appears when there is great evil and great connection to the Fade. It is… not of this world." Wynne explained, as they left the pulsating pustule behind. "Mages have tried to study it for decades, but there is never enough material and it quickly dies when separated from its source."

"Does that mean we are going to meet something even more dangerous in these halls?" Fallon inquired.

"It means we are going to meet something that I cannot predict."

And she was right. As they opened the door into the next room there stood an abomination, surrounded by corpses. But it didn't seem like the other abominations. It turned slowly to them, as everyone withdrew their weapons, and began speaking.

"Guests? Come to join my little party?" His voice was slow and melodic, almost soothing to hear.

"Come to kill you, creature."

"There is no need to kill. Aren't you tired of violence? Tired of all the terrible things in this world? Wouldn't it be easier to go to sleep?" Each sentence he spoke was like a warm blanket. It settled on Fallon's shoulders and gently tried to push her down.

"Sleep? On a floor slick with blood and filth? I think… not…" Morrigan replied before collapsing to the floor. Fallon turned, and was about to shout for the apostate when Zetheria fell too. Followed by Leliana, then Alistair, and finally Wynne. Fallon turned back to the creature, attempting to reach it before she also fell, but her eyelids were already so heavy.

"It's either you or me, and it isn't going to be me." She said, fighting her heavy limbs as she marched toward it. The creature didn't move, but seemed to smile underneath its melted face.

"Oh, but I think it will be."

Fallon had no strength; she crumpled to the floor, landing on other dead bodies. Her bare, newly healed hand scraped against some plate armor, tearing at her knuckles, but the woman felt nothing. She was already sleeping.

* * *

Fallon looked at her scraped knuckle and touched the rough bark it had caught on. She turned to Soris, who looked at her expectantly.

"No one has really been in a Vhenadahl before." She smiled, knowingly.

"No one but us. Remember that time when we…" He began but she cut him off.

"You remember because I remember. You are accessing my thoughts to create this."

"What? What are you…."

"Soris and I knew this tree better than anyone. And because of all the time we spent in it we knew that the bottom bark is rough like most trees but the top ones are smooth. They only look rough from the ground because they are discolored. Dark veins travel through it, but it is as smooth as parchment. This tree is crusty from top to bottom."

"No it isn't, feel…. Smooth as…"

"You just changed it because I thought about it. Before I remembered that fact you could only guess." Soris looked scared now, uncertain of how to proceed. "Let me go and I won't have to kill you."

"You stupid elf! We tried to give you everything!" Soris screamed in a voice that was not his own.

"Please, just leave. Don't make me kill him." But the creature didn't listen, and instead lunged at her. Fallon kicked it in the chest, bones crunched inside from the impact. The thing fell, smacking on branches as it made its way down, and landing hard on the pretend ground below. Fallon turned to avoid seeing her dead cousin and saw a glowing cerulean light beside her. Through the light there was a different landscape, a different world. She entered it without hesitation.


	13. Into the Fade

Chapter 13: Into the Fade

_Kingsway 14__th__, In the Fade_

The portal that took her away from the Alienage led to a dark, desolate land that was clearly some part of the Fade the Sloth Demon didn't expect his victims to enter. There were no worldly decorations painting the stage to resemble Thedas. The sky was a sickly mix of green and yellow, the color of infection. Festering skin pulled taut over the land, just out of reach. The dirt and stones on the ground resembled that of Thedas but with a tint of purple beneath the gray surface. Peculiar plants, and ancient ruins peppered the crowded and jagged landscape, but the thing that stood out the most was the air.

Fallon was taking in breaths like normal, but the air lacked temperature. It wasn't the chill she would normally associate with such a bare environment, or warm like the Tower where her body must still reside. It was nothing, and thinking about that too much made Fallon's head hurt. She noticed a torch on her right, sapphire flames in a bronze vessel, and decided to test it. Waving a hand around the inferno she felt absolutely nothing, no warm energy that usually radiates from a blaze. Without thinking, she quickly thrust her finger into the fire, before extracting it just as quickly from the sharp pain.

"Sod it!" She yelled, sucking on the lightly burned digit, her saliva only offering a few seconds of comfort. So the air was temperature-less, but fire still burned. Perfect.

"Who are you? Where did you come from? Are you a demon?" The voice startled her. Fallon hadn't expected to meet someone so soon after her escape from the false Alienage. She jumped visibly.

The man that owned this voice had dark brown hair, wore mages robes and looked to be in his early thirties. His face appeared kind and his voice quavered when he spoke but Fallon was suspicious that this could just be another layer of tricks. She hadn't noticed him before, leaning there against a pillar of purple-grey stone, and who's to say a demon couldn't simply appear. "No… You aren't a demon. You escaped their trap like I did. Well… congratulations." Fallon just stared at him for a moment, unsure how to reply.

"Thank you." Her words were cautious and slow, like the language was foreign to her. "Were you trapped for long?"

"A few days I think." He looked off to his right when he spoke, as if the wall nearby had a calendar on it. Fallon took in the area briefly, noticed no one else around, and decided to trust this man. She didn't have many other options.

"I had companions with me. Have you seen them?" She asked in earnest.

"Yours is the first friendly face I've set eyes on. If you came here with others they will be trapped as well. The Demon that rules this place traps everyone in a dream. It is very difficult to escape" Fallon nodded, just a few more seconds and the demon with Soris' face would have completely bewitched her. "My name is Niall. My friends and I had… hoped to take the Circle. We were not anticipating the Demon."

"Nor were we. We came to rescue the tower and…. I must know one thing before I converse with you any further. Are you one of Uldred's blood mages?"

"No! We sought to stop the blood magic. We were using the Litany of Adralla against their mind control, but we couldn't stop the powers of the demon. It is too late now."

"No, it's not. How do we get out of this place?"

"You are asking the wrong person. I have been stuck here for a lifetime, wandering the halls and searching for a way out. There will be doors that you can't open, holes you can't enter, and layers of fire that block your path. It is infuriating."

"There has to be a way, nothing is completely impenetrable."

"I studied that pedestal over there. It leads to the other islands, where the dreamers and demons stay. The Sloth Demon is in the center, with the other islands protecting it. I thought I was getting somewhere, traveled to each island, only to my hopes crushed. There is no way out, Sloth made sure of that."

"I have to try. I can't leave my friends to rot." She moved toward the pedestal, which was formed from dark blue metal that grew directly out of the ground. It appeared to morph and twist from her peripheral vision but halted its movements when she looked straight at it.

"Wait. Let me help, Sloth has lesser demons on each island. Killing them should destroy his protective ward and allow you to defeat him." Niall had a slight glimmer of hope in his eyes, but Fallon looked at herself and was wrought with despair.

"I can't very well fight demons in nightclothes, can I?" She chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. She had broken free from a demon's hex only to be outfoxed by cotton.

"This is the Fade. You need to just close your eyes and remember what you were wearing. Think about it and it will return to you. How do you think I got my staff back?" His smile was endearing but Fallon had qualms about closing her eyes for any period of time here. But again, she had little other options. Her eyes closed.

She tried to remember what she was wearing but it proved difficult. Whatever the Fade hadn't muddled she had not been paying attention to. Chainmail and leather….but that was all the detail she could manage. Her mother's swords however, were crystal clear in her mind, the beautiful filigreed handles, the blue inlay, the gleaming steel. Twins, but for the engraving on one. _Fang_. The other held no title. Her mother was going to let Fallon name it. She remembered how they had swung above her mother's head, weaving a dance of death so quickly her prey would never have a chance. She remembered how beautifully they adorned her mother's back, and when Fallon opened her eyes again, they decorated hers.

"Not terrible. Although I must say your clothes aren't very detailed are they. Don't you pay attention to what you wear?" Niall mused. The armor wasn't exactly right, but at least it was existent, and more importantly she had her swords. .

"It usually doesn't matter what it looks like, as long as it prevents weapons from stabbing me. But I'll make sure to pay attention from now on." Fallon was lying of course. If she wrote a list of all the things that needed her undivided attention, the clothes she wore would be at the bottom.

Traveling alone around the island was, in a word, creepy. She felt like she was wandering for hours, meeting no other beings. Occasionally the landscape would change, or she'd discover a disturbing statue and hurry away. Yet, it felt like eyes were always watching. Fallon pretended to know where she was going and what she was doing, painting her face with a fierce mask so any demon watching her would hopefully be afraid.

Eventually she came to a little hill, with large stone spikes sticking out of the ground like a claw. On one side the island ended, dropping off into nothing. On the other it was blocked by a tall stone wall. Curiosity got the better of her and Fallon found herself headed toward the abyss, eager to look over the edge and see what was there. She was mostly disappointed. After lying on her stomach and crawling, she looked down at more yellow-green sky, although she could make out other islands in the distance. A scream echoed, a chilling sound reverberating off the stone walls behind her. Fallon abandoned her investigation and ran toward the hill, drawing her swords in the process.

The person screaming wasn't a person at all. It was a mouse, set upon by two angry demons. Their snake heads flattened slightly as they attempted to burn the creature, who proved too fast for them. When Fallon ascended the hill, one abandoned this task and decided to deal with the warrior first. This would be its undoing. Fallon slashed its eyes and thrust her swords into its chest. It collapsed, fire and rock melting into the ground. The second one was more difficult, but was inevitably defeated, joining its brother in death. With adrenaline pumping through her veins and a new slash across her cheek, Fallon was feeling good. Really good. Invincible. The hopelessness from earlier was replaced with a sense of determination she was familiar with. Whatever happened she could do this.

"I am …. dying." The mouse said, snapping Fallon's attention to it immediately. "Please take my power, kill Sloth. Kill Yaveena. Through a…. spirit…door that only demons can enter…You must find the others."

"Please, let me help you."

"You will help me by killing Sloth. You will help all the dreamers. Please" Blood began forming a tiny puddle beneath the creature.

"Alright." She began heading toward the mouse, wondering what kind of powers it could bestow when she was overwhelmed by it. Energy immobilized her momentarily, while information forced its way into her mind. When it was finished, Fallon's knees gave out, and she crumbled to the ground, the dying mouse lying beside her. Though he was no longer a mouse. A mage, with dark green eyes that now stared unblinking at the festering sky. Fallon reached over and closed them for him.

"Rest friend, thank you for your help. May you fly swiftly to the Maker's side." All she had to give him was this benediction, but the elf hoped it would offer some sort of peace. At least it comforted her.

She traveled back down the hill before testing her powers. Placing her feet firmly on the ground, she followed the instructions in mind. It was second nature. Easy. Fallon just lifted her hands into the air, thought about it, and became a mouse. The fur, small rodent hands, tail, each feature almost gave her a heart attack as she felt it for herself. Being another creature was difficult, even had the potential to be emotionally scarring. She wondered why Morrigan never mentioned that before. However, the information given to her by the mage had a calming effect as well. So after a few seconds of panic, her heart rate slowed. Her nose twitched, whiskers danced, and Fallon ran back to a small hole she passed earlier, crawling through it with ease.

At first Niall didn't notice her, a mouse was easy to ignore, but when she transformed back into a human not three feet away, the mage jumped visibly. Fallon smiled and Niall even smiled back.

"An exciting adventure I take it?" He asked with that almost monotone droll of his.

"Not as exciting as it was productive. But I don't understand. My companion is a shapeshifter and her clothes fall off when she transforms. Why don't mine?"

"It's the Fade. If you imagine them on, they will be. Now did you find out anything else?"

"A mage told me I had to go through a spirit door to kill the demon on this island. I'm not sure how though."

"I imagine by becoming a spirit. Find someone who knows how to transform into one."

"Why can't I just turn into one now? If I can imagine my clothes and weapons, why not imagine myself as a spirit or demon?"

"Do you know how it feels to be a demon, or glide through the air as a spirit?" Fallon shook her head. "That's why. You can only recreate what you already know. Now run along, the Circle needs saving."

After touching a rune on the pedestal, Fallon was transported. Unlike the first area, this looked to be in some sort of building and the vast majority of it mirrored areas of the Circle Tower, although it lacked any sort of roof. The walls seemed to be melting upward into the empty void. The room she arrived in was thankfully empty, although she could hear the occasional scream and roar off in the distance. Fear crept through her bones as she pondered the well-being of her companions. If any had escaped their bindings they would be in as much danger as she, although without knowing how to transform or imagine weaponry. When the scream petered out, long and agonized, Fallon simply prayed it wasn't someone she knew.

She ran in mouse form through various holes and tunnels dug into the ground. It was disorienting. Many of the tunnels led into more empty rooms, but as she exited one she noticed a dark figure in the corner. A genlock charged at her after she had transformed back. The elf had barely enough time to grab her weapons before it was upon her. A thrust to the chest cavity with one sword and a swipe across his neck with Fang, killed the monster quickly. It fell to the ground, twitching in its death throes. Fallon simply looked at it puzzled. Demons she understood, humans made sense, even animals were logical, but darkspawn? How did they come to get there? As far as she knew the creatures were soulless, and monsters weren't supposed to dream. But on top of that, they lived underground like the Dwarves. Dwarves weren't able to enter the Fade at all, so how could Darkspawn, who occupied the same living quarters? It was a question worth pondering.

The genlock she encountered turned out not to be a fluke. As she traveled through this island there were several more darkspawn, mostly hurlocks. She avoided them whenever she could, but fought when she couldn't hide. Fallon also came upon a number of corpses, random dreamers that had been killed by the darkspawn. There were no familiar faces, and she thanked the Maker for that.

The final room she entered was filled with several darkspawn, one of which was an emissary. They appeared to be communicating with each other, pointing and grunting. The rooms many marble pillars blocked Fallon's sight and she was forced to abandon her mouse hole to investigate further. She opted not to transform back, intending instead to gather information before proceeding, but a harsh whisper halted this research.

"Stop it now!" A tall man with dark hair stood before her, cowering behind a pillar. "You will bring them down upon us!" His voice was shrill and he wore heavy templar armor. Fallon was surprised, she hadn't seen any templars, and assumed it was only the mages that could escape that first prison. Herself, being the exception.

Fallon attempted to communicate with the templar, speaking as the mage had done with her, but it only came out as a high-pitched mouse squeak, loud enough for the darkspawn to quit grunting to each other and turn in their direction. "Look what you've done now!" He growled at her, before transforming. The man's heavy plate armor somehow turned translucent, his face grew nearly invisible, and he started to hover slightly off the ground. He had the knowledge of the spirits.

By the time Fallon transformed back and rushed into the battle, the templar spirit was already wreaking havoc. He floated around them, confusing them and pinning the creatures with magic, but he wasn't invincible. The Emissary threw a hex in his direction and Fallon heard him scream in pain before rushing back into battle. They worked together, mixing spells and swords into a deadly technique. The dreaming darkspawn were dead quickly.

The spirit templar returned to his physical form and walked to Fallon's side. His eyes were crazed and the elf almost took a step away. He smiled wildly, but didn't appear hostile.

"They are dead! You did it. You killed them! Take my wisdom, it will let you see as they do. Find the other dreamers, they may have more answers for you. Now, I wake up." He disappeared before she had a chance to question him. Feeling slightly dejected, Fallon returned to the fade pedestal, eager to return to Niall and use her new power.

Yeveena didn't notice the spirit Fallon at first, busy in congress with two other demons. She was attractive, with purple skin and thick ebony horns. Instead of hair the creature had purple flames rising from her scalp, and wore nothing but light jewelry on her body. Fallon crept close to Yeveena and its companions, but they failed to see her. The Warden, in her new transparent form, was hardly more than a shadow. An idea and nothing beyond. She felt light but powerful. It was no longer surprising to look down at her hand and see through to the ground beneath.

She sent a spell toward Yeveena. Energy traveled from her fingertips to the demon, freezing her with crushing magic. The two other demons rushed to her aid, but Fallon quickly froze them into obsidian, before taking her own original form. Now with two solid swords she thrust them through the frozen demon's breasts, stabbing into the heart. Yaveena hovered in place momentarily, before collapsing in a pathetic clump. The ground shook beneath her feet as a layer of wards disappeared. Magic hung in the air for a moment before dissipating, and Fallon looked at her hands, amazed at the magic she had just performed.

"How could the Chantry despise this?" She pondered aloud to herself. Freezing a demon with your own willpower had a euphoric effect; she must tell Morrigan about this, if she ever sees the apostate again. That was when Fallon noticed a portal. A door had formed in the middle of the island and she couldn't stop herself from exploring it.

When she walked through, Fallon was surprised to find a little farm with a plot of corn growing tall behind a fence. A cottage sat beside it, quaint and picturesque. She was in someone else's dream, but whose was the question. She noticed a man; he had short red hair and wore thick plate mail. Beside him sat a mabari, playfully nipping at his hand while the man laughed.

"Dawson?" Fallon asked, and the mabari turned to look at her, cocking his head sideways in confusion. The man rose to his feet and smiled.

"Did you make yourself a friend, boy? Well any friend of Dawson's is a friend of mine, that dog's got a keen sense about people. The name's Fletcher." He held out his hand but Fallon refused to take it, instead turning to her dog.

"Was this your master, boy? He seems like he was a great man. I know how much you miss him."

"Miss me? Why I'm right here. We just got back from Ostagar, defeated the Blight in one battle."

"I've lost people too Dawson. I lost a friend named Kora, my betrothed Nelaros, my mother Adaia, my grandmother Aisling… it is painful to lose people you love so deeply." She knelt down so Dawson could come to her when he wished, holding her hands out to him.

"Now just a minute. I don't think I like what you are saying. Get off my property!"

"He was wonderful, brave and intelligent. I bet he had a great sense of humor too. And I know this cause you wouldn't care for anyone that was anything less. But he's gone, Dawson. This isn't him. Part of you knows that." Dawson whined but took a step toward her. "Come here, we will avenge his death I promise. And one day, I'm sure you'll be reunited with him." The mabari galloped to her side, licking her face and she hugged him close. Around them, the farm vanished, replaced with Fade landscape. Fletcher no longer stood before her, in his place were three desire demons, clearly less powerful then Yaveena but intimidating just the same. Fallon stood up and grabbed her weapons as the creatures descended on her.

"What do you desire Fallon? We could give it to you, anything you want. Ask us and it is yours." They began floating around, finishing each other's sentences. "You miss your family so terribly. We could return you to them. We could make it so no one you love has to die again. Anything you wish, just give us what we want." Their constant circling was making her dizzy.

"You want my soul, I shan't be sacrificing that."

"Not your soul my dear, your body. The dog was fine for a time, but to experience life as a mortal is all we desire. And wouldn't it be better this way? You have no idea what you are doing. You have no right to lead these people. You are lost and if you continue to lead, more people will die. If you succumb to us, then Alistair will be forced to take over, he will know what to do better then you. And you'll be happy, it will be bliss…. we promise." The demons throaty whispers echoed in her ears. What they said was true. Fallon didn't know what she was doing, and feared the effect she could have on people. Her words had coaxed Kora into speaking against the guards, and those actions had killed her. Now she didn't just influence one life, but many, armies could soon be at her disposal. One wrong action, a wrong sentence, and hundreds could die, their families sitting at home crying and blaming the inexperienced general. Perhaps it would be better if…

Dawson dragged one of the demons out of the air, crushing her windpipe with his powerful jaws. Fallon jumped into action as well, knocked from her daze by her loyal companion. She killed the remaining two demons relatively easily, and turned to her friend.

"Thank you." She patted him lightly on the head, hoping to convey all her emotions in that simple gesture, before taking him back out through the portal.

It was difficult leaving Dawson with Niall but since he couldn't shapeshift he couldn't come. As Fallon walked through another replica of the Tower, although this time burning, she missed him. The mabari at her side would be welcome.

The burning Tower was filled room after room with nothing but fire and burned corpses. She had hoped for a fight, but found none until she entered a maze of fiery halls. Thin corridors, no ceiling, and blocked every turn by fire; the halls were disorienting and nerve-wracking. Suddenly, after walking deep into the maze, the walls of flames birthed dogs, charred skin and still blazing. They ran at her viciously.

"Well that would be an interesting pet." She mused to herself while slicing at them. The first went down easily but the second grabbed a hold of her arm, bruising her as it burned her armor. She tried to thrust her sword through its neck but it kept moving, dragging her arm with it. Finally, after a blow to its head she was able to disorient the creature and impale him but felt terrible about it. They resembled her dog and she couldn't help but wonder if this was what the demons originally had in store for him.

After venturing the hallway and entering several mouse tunnels, Fallon came into a large arena. There was one door in the corner but before she could travel too it, the elf heard a loud shriek from the corner.

"It burns! The anger burns! I will drown it out with your blood!" A templar charged at her, coated in heavy flames. As she rolled and dodged, the man called forth more flames until the room was practically an inferno. It was all Fallon could do to stay in the safe areas; she still remembered how much that torch had hurt.

The fiery templar charged at her again, trying to knock her into the sea of flames behind her. This time Fallon did a two sword swipe across his armored torso, then up, knocking off his helmet. He was disoriented and fell backwards into the wall, knocking his head hard against the stone. Instantly, the flames went out, the burning tower was clear. Fallon kept her weapons ready, waiting for the templar's next move.

"My… my head is clear. Oh thank you, the anger is gone. I am free. Please, take my power. It will give you strength to destroy Rhagos." A tendril of warmth began where he touched her arm and quickly traveled through her entire body. The Templar smiled when he was finished, leaving without a word, but Fallon was too preoccupied with her new ability to notice. Flames had erupted from every pore, bathing her body in a warm embrace. She looked at her hand and discovered it to be coated in flame but unscathed. Her hair danced upward, red and wild like the fire on the wick of a candle. She felt powerful. No wonder mages let magic go to their head.

The fourth island she visited also resembled the Circle Tower, but was unique as it was overrun with insane blood mages. The first one she discovered had been lying on a bed, muttering to himself, as he chewed off his own fingers, a beard of blood on his mouth. Fallon would have vomited if that sort of thing was possible in the Fade. Instead, she put the troubled man out of his misery.

This sort of sight became very common. The tortured consciences of the blood mages seemed to drive the maleficar insane. Several had battles in the halls, killing each other off before Fallon had to step in. She witnessed one disembowel a screaming victim before doing the same on himself. They committed suicide, mutilation, and all matter of atrocities on each other, but seemed oblivious to the fiery elf. Fallon wondered if these people had become abominations. Perhaps this was what happened to your spirit when you gave your body to a demon. The idea made her shudder.

The only real adversaries Fallon had to fight were the occasional demon, but in her new fiery form their powers couldn't hurt her. The monsters flung fireball after fireball at her, but Fallon simply absorbed it into the inferno decorating her body. Then she killed the molten creatures before they had a chance to realize what had happened. But, in the final room she fought several creatures she had never encountered before.

A circle of blood mages were tormenting another man, using a giant made of stone to do so. The creature, with its chiseled out face and strong rock hands, was trying to tear the man in half. The maleficarum cheered from below. But before the screaming man could be torn asunder he muttered some magic words and changed into a replica of his captor. The stone giant could not hold the man after he changed, dropping him quickly onto a mage residing below. The mage didn't have a chance to scream when he was crushed, but a thick pool of blood hinted at his fate. The stone man got up and quickly batted the mages aside so he could deal with his twin giant. Fallon transformed into burning form just in time for a fireball to come cascading at her, exploding on impact with her back. The flames of her body simply enveloped it. She replied with a cone of fire from her hands. The first mage's robes caught quickly and he was soon a writhing fiery mass. Fallon cut off his shrieks of pain with a quick thrust to the heart, and then moved on.

It was one of the most difficult battles she had fought. The mages used the blood of their fallen comrades to heal their wounds and they quickly realized that their assailant was impervious to fire and began shooting ice at her. Fallon had to transform back and forth between a spirit and a burning woman so she wouldn't be caught in a bad spell. The stone man she was helping was busy trying to smash the other stone men, several of which burst through the door to help just as the battle seemed to be wrapping up. The Grey Warden let him be. She couldn't tell the difference between the stone monsters and decided to let them fight it out. If an evil one was left then she could finish him off. In the end the good stone monster survived. He grabbed the remaining mage and threw him across the room, before turning to Fallon and transforming back.

"Thank you for your help." The mage said nervously with a voice that wasn't appropriate for his face.

"Why are you thanking me? You were the one who did most of the fighting." She gestured toward the piles of gravel that were the remains of his foes.

"You were the perfect distraction, but I don't think I can fight anymore. Please, take my knowledge and when the time comes for you to fight Sloth, my brothers and I will be at your side."

"Brothers? The templars were your brothers?"

"They were no templars and I am no mage. No one can simply wake up from these dreams, Fallon. We have just been watching you and wanted to help. Now, you must go soon or you won't be able to rescue your friends."

The last portal opened just as Fallon landed the final blow on the Desire demon. It had been a difficult chase through miles of mouse tunnels, spirit door after spirit door, and finally they met in a blazing inferno. Sloths second in command did not go down quietly and Fallon was completely exhausted when luck gave her an opening and the demon fell. Now the last portal was opened and the elf was afraid of whom she would find inside.

She had rescued Alistair from his pretend sister, Morrigan from her mother, although the apostate seemed to realize they were in the fade, and Leliana from a mock version of the Lothering Chantry. The last one had been extremely difficult since the red-haired Sister seemed to have no recollection of the elf, but in the end they won. All three had been hesitant to let Fallon venture back out on their own but, since none of them could successfully transform into any of the required shapes, they had to stay with Niall, who was glad for some human companionship.

Now there was only one dreamer island left available to her, and two companions left for rescue. Fallon wasn't sure which Circle Mage she'd find within but there were heavy implications that the other was dead.

The portal led her to a modest dining room, nicer than anything in the Alienage, but not grand in appearance. The walls were painted, the table was solid oak, but it was not the home of a noble. Fallon tread carefully. Whoever resided within, their demons would be fiercely holding onto them, knowing by now that they were the last ones left.

Fallon turned at the large archway on the right and found herself in an equally modest sitting room, although this was occupied. Three people and three cats sat in benches smiling at each other. The man on the far side had long blonde hair and a little bit of stubble on his face. He wore bright green mage robes and his staff lay on the floor, being pounced on by a kitten. The other man had long dark hair that fell to his shoulders. He currently had it tied away from his face with a piece of twin. He had his arms around Zetheria who was happily resting her head against his shoulder. She turned to see Fallon enter the room, silver eyes flashing recognition and sadness.

"I guess it's time for me to go." Zetheria whispered, pulling herself out of the dark-haired man's embrace and placing a light kiss on his lips. Fallon was about to speak, hoping to explain the situation like she had to the others, but before she had a chance Zetheria sent tendrils of lightning into both men. They yelped as she electrocuted them, convulsing, and Fallon made a move to assist but the white haired mage stopped her. Slowly, the room disintegrated as the demons died. They attempted to get to their feet a few times but Z sent them flying back, pinning them with energy. The walls disappeared and they found themselves in the Fade once more, all the illusions crumbling around them as the demons lost their strength to keep it going. The last decorations to fall away were the bodies of the men, now shapely purple women, dead on the ground. Fallon thought she saw Zetheria wipe away a tear. "Alright, let's go."

"Hold on. How did you know they were demons?"

"Fallon, all mages know when they are in the Fade. It takes some powerful magic to confuse them and these creatures didn't quite have that. Now can we get moving?" She tried to take another step but Fallon held up her hand and stopped her again. Zetheria sighed with exasperation.

"No, who were those men?"

"It doesn't matter. They weren't real." Z tried to get around Fallon but the Warden continued to block her path.

"If you knew they weren't real why did you stay? Why didn't you escape and try to find a way out?"

"I'm a blood mage and this façade was the only thing protecting me from the more powerful demons out there. I didn't want to turn into an abomination. Now, can we get going?"

"Yeah… alright." They turned away from the dead demons and Fallon silently wondered who those people had been. Obviously they were extremely important to Zetheria; she had even played along with the illusion.

"I need to tell you that I'm sorry for earlier. I was overreacting. I just…. I was tired of feeling like a freak. When we were kids you were the only one that talked to me and then I accidentally set that house on fire and… I don't know. I just wish we could have met again under better circumstances. Circumstances that I didn't inadvertently cause. I feel like such an idiot for getting involved in this…" Zetheria ran her fingers through her hair.

"Why did you?"

"I wanted freedom. I just wanted to see my friends and family again. Jowan had escaped a few months earlier and Anders right after that. I just didn't see what else I could do. It was a dumb mistake. My freedom definitely wasn't worth all this death." They walked back through the portal and into the room where Fallon had killed the Desire Demon just moments before. Beside the body sat the pedestal, Fallon reached out to touch the runes that would take her back to Niall and the others but Z stopped her. "I need to ask you something. I've been too afraid to ask but I really need to know…. What happened to my family?"

The question took Fallon off-guard. She had assumed that Zetheria wouldn't care anymore, having been separated from them for more than a decade. It felt cruel to her that the Circle Tower wouldn't allow letters to its mages, and she remembered so clearly the day she had discovered this.

She had been sending letters to Z for over a year, getting one back at least once a month, and didn't suspect anything was wrong until she discovered her own letters in her father's wardrobe. She took the envelopes directly to her mother, demanding an answer with as much fury as her ten-year old self could muster. Adaia sat her down and explained that the mages at the Tower were working so hard to learn magic they didn't have time to write back. Instead, her father had replied to each message so Fallon wouldn't be sad. She had wavered back and forth between angry and touched for awhile, but eventually she and Adaia agreed never to say anything to Cyrion. Fallon wrote a goodbye letter to Zetheria and the matter was done with. Later, she realized this no-mail rule applied to family as well. Once more Dedriee Surrana's face entered her thoughts, the way she moped after Cyrion diagnosed her. Fallon wondered if part of it was because she'd never see her daughter again.

"Your mother died about two years after you were taken. Wasting sickness. Your father was killed in an accident at work three years later. I am really sorry that I had to be the one to tell you."

"What happened to Jaiden? Does he still live?" The mage's eyes were frantic and Fallon was glad she would be able to give her at least some good news.

"Yes. He had to stay at the orphanage for a few years but Valendrian matched him up with a wife last year. He's moved to Highever and last I heard they're expecting a child soon."

"Highever… Highever…" She was muttering to herself. "Thank you for telling me. Its better knowing then always wondering what happened to them. But … I need to be honest with you. When you spared my life I lied. I have absolutely no intention of submitting to the Templars when this is all over. I can't have come this far and not escape."

"You said yourself it wasn't worth it. Look at what happened because of your thirst to be free."

"And if I don't take this chance to escape then it will have all been for nothing. You don't understand what it's like being trapped like this. Your family forgets about you, friends replace you, and you are left in this dungeon, only allowed to see the outside world if the kingdom requires you to risk your life."

"I understand what it feels like to be trapped. I understand the sadness of not knowing if you'll see your family again. And risking your life for people who don't value you… well that I get all too well. But I cannot, in good conscience, let a Blood Mage loose on Ferelden."

"Is that still the way you view me? Some monster you have locked safely in a cage?"

"No, but it isn't about what I see or what I want. I have to worry about everyone."

"Well I sincerely hope you come to your senses. I wouldn't want to fight you."

"Let's just focus on who we do want to fight; we will just worry about that other nonsense later." Fallon tried to offer a smile but her mind was in turmoil again. Perhaps it would have been simpler if they had just gone to visit Arl Eamon first.


	14. The Fade Battle

_I apologize for the lateness of this chapter and also the relative short length. The entire Fade sequence was originally supposed to be wrapped up by now but it didn't work out like I initially planned. So here is the 14th chapter and I hope anyone that is enjoying this story will continue reading, I really appreciate all the support of everyone here. _

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Fade Battle**

There she stood, robes covered in the sticky brown blood of fake pupils, with a look of intense anguish upon her face. She looked exhausted, every wrinkle clearly defined. It took Fallon half a moment to realize that it was really Wynne that stood in front of her and not some apparition. The expression she wore was so unlike the calm and collected mage she had first met in Ostagar. She seemed broken.

Not moments before, the Warden had called off the search for the old woman. Fallon had wanted them to take a few moments to search for her, despite Niall's urgings to get moving, but there were no signs of the elder mage and eventually she had to abandon the quest.

"It's pointless to look for her." Niall had told her. "Once you kill Sloth she will be released with all the dreamers." This did not lessen Fallon's anxiety, but she stopped the search, gathering her people to fight Sloth. She exchanged a look with Alistair before motioning for them to put their hand over the Fade Pedestal. With a nod of her head, they all touched the pedestal together, instantly transporting to Sloth's center island.

And there she stood with tears etching patterns through her bloodstained skin.

"Maker… All this death… all this destruction. Why do I deserve to live and they must die?" Wynne was muttering to herself, surrounded by a pile of corpses. There were several familiar faces among them, including that of Zetheria, mouth agape and blood dripping from her dark lips.

" 'Tis powerful magic, " Morrigan whispered, "to trick the preachy schoolmistress."

"Why is her dream like this? Everyone else's was happy. Why is Sloth torturing her?" Fallon asked audibly, but no one was able to venture a guess. Alistair stepped forward, putting a hand on Wynne shoulder. She failed to react. Her muttering continued until the senior Grey Warden began speaking.

"Wynne. Wynne, look at me." He commanded. Her eyes severed its ties on the dead bodies, glancing upward to Alistair and then to Fallon who stood slightly behind him.

"Where were you two? I thought you meant to take back the tower? Instead you run off and leave it like… this." She gestured wildly. A small drop of blood that had been running down her forearm separated from her during the movement, landing on Fallon's cheek. She wiped it away as she spoke.

"We still have a chance to rescue the Circle. None of this is real. Look, Zetheria is right behind me." Wynne squinted in the direction Fallon pointed but still looked confused, brow furrowed into a tight mark of skin.

"Where? I don't see… there is so much fog…"

"She can't understand you my friends. She's a bit… preoccupied at the moment." The voice was echoing and hollow, with edges like a serrated knife. It tunneled into Fallon's ears and grated on her nerves. She turned to see the source, The Sloth Demon. He slowly took steps in their direction, as if he would collapse from exhaustion at any moment. "Why are the birds out of their cages? If you go back, I promise to make it wonderful this time." The creature gave an audible snort of derision, though Fallon saw no evidence of a nose.

"What are you doing to her? Let her go!" Fallon demanded, but Sloth simply chuckled in his deep, irritating voice.

"She thinks she can become an abomination without all the pain and torment, I am just correcting her." He yawned, exposing long jagged teeth and a mouth filled with rot. "But …it grows exhausting keeping her friend at bay…. Oh I see you have brought friends of your own." He made a gesture toward the spirits that had joined Fallon's crusade, the Templar, the Golem, and the Burning Man.

"I grow tired of your games, Demon. We are here to kill you."

"Why all the violence? Go back and I promise to make you happy." Fallon didn't even deign that with an answer. Instead she burst into wild flames, screaming a loud battle cry as she was consumed in the heatless fire. The clamoring of weapons quickly issued from behind her.

"To Arms!" She yelled at her men. Fallon almost smiled, remember how badly she had always wanted to scream that in battle. It was a small victory in its own right.

The Golem spirit immediately charged Sloth as he quickly transformed into the shape of a Darkspawn Ogre. The hideous monstrosity met the Golem head on, and the two grappled violently for a moment, before the spirit was thrown aside. Leliana let out a gasp when she saw the beast, her drawn bow lowering slightly in confusion and horror.

"What is that thing?" Her mouth hung open in awe and her arms were slack.

"An ogre, and don't worry, Alistair and I know how to defeat it. Don't we? " Fallon yelled as her mages bombarded Sloth with fireballs. He stood in confusion for a moment, attempting to bat them away, roaring in anger toward the mages who caused it. She sent one of her own with them, cackling when it landed, chipping a piece of his horn. Magic was the best.

"That we do. Firsthand knowledge. I believe we used fire as well….." Alistair was at her side as they ran toward the beast, which stood a good forty feet in front of them. They took a straight path, not needing to flank the monster for he was too preoccupied with the spells.

"That we did." The Golem, who had needed a moment to recover from his first attack, was now locked in a fist fight with the demon but wasn't achieving much damage. The Spirit Templar cast spells from afar, while the burning man attempted to launch fire at him in between blows with an ethereal axe. Fallon narrowly dodged the Golem as he fell for a second time, causing the ground to quake beneath him, but lost her footing when her boots met uneven ground . The elf stumbled slightly but corrected herself long enough to send a funnel of fire toward Sloth. Alistair was close at hand, slicing at the creature's legs. The combination made it howl in pain, which usually would have created a pang of guilt in Fallon's heart had it not been for the still ensorcelled Wynne. "Care to distract him again?" She asked with a glowing grin. He smiled back.

"I think it's your turn. I'll even loan you my shield so you don't get crushed, just make sure it doesn't get dented."

"Oh how chivalrous of you!" She sent scorching flames into the Demon's eyes, causing it to writhe in agony. Alistair and the Burning Man hacked deeply into the monster's flesh. It lost balance and fell.

"I know," Alistair shouted as the two rushed toward the disabled Sloth. Niall had just coated the creature in a thick sheen of ice, immobilizing it but also making it incredibly difficult to land any finalizing blows. Only the Burning Man's axe could slice through the barrier, and the ice slowed his chops considerably. "But I was a templar after all. Chivalry is our third most important skill, right after guilt-wielding and self-righteousness."

"Would you two stop with the banter?" Zetheria asked breathlessly. "We are fighting for our lives." She shot electricity at the frozen Sloth but it backfired and hit the Burning Man. He was thrown backwards and straight into the Golem, who had been attempting to rise again.

"Doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves while we do." Alistair added with a laugh that was abruptly cut off. Niall's ice spell wore off and Sloth broke free, sending large chunks of frozen water flying across the Fade, a large piece catching Fallon in the chest. The shocking cold halted Fallon's concentration and her form quickly changed back to normal, flames extinguished.

A wave of energy shook the air, catapulting the dreaming army off their feet. In front of them, the towering form of Sloth was shrinking. His ogre skin melting down, bones breaking into different shapes, and by the end he was a repulsive mass, similar to a mage abomination. He issued waves of fire and hot air, attempting to disarm and confuse his opponents. Morrigan attempted another ice spell but Sloth had built a wall of flames around himself, melting the magic ice ball before it ever reached him. Zetheria tried to injure him with lighting but he took the hits with absolutely no effect. Leliana did get a few arrows through before they burned up but they barely pierced Sloths' skin. Meanwhile, he threw large fireballs, disrupting the group's coordination as they dodged to avoid the flying inferno.

The army was getting frustrated. Alistair and Fallon couldn't get near him, and the projectile attacks weren't working. Fallon attempted to issue an order, but nothing came out of her mouth. She couldn't think. Everything was getting more and more confusing, cloudy and muddled.

"You must hurry! My energy is running out! Sloth will need a new victim!" Fallon wasn't sure what that meant but she nodded at Niall just the same. She slapped her cheek to remove some of the fog settling in her mind and called to the Golem. Although she wasn't certain the spirit could hear her, it followed her instructions. The mass of rock used its large fingers to pry a slab of stone out of the ground, and flung it toward Sloth when it was free. Sloth noticed, and sent a fireball toward it, blowing the rock up mid-air. However, it was just enough of a distraction to allow the Burning Man a brief opening. He charged through the fire barrier, stabbing the Sloth demons straight in the back.

Fallon let out a sigh of relief that was short lived as the dead Abomination Sloth split open. Bone and gristle peeling apart, snapping and tearing noises driving into their skulls in a sickening symphony. From the corpse sprang the original form of Sloth, grimacing. Fallon wasn't sure if the first two had been illusions or necessary battles to wear him down. Either way it seemed they were nearing the end, Sloth looked noticeable weary. That is, if it was possible for a demon to be weary.

"Destroy him! Do it now or you will lose your chance forever!" Niall shouted, but his voice was losing its edge. Fallon looked toward the horizon and saw the Fade was shrinking back. Slowly the islands in the distance were crumbling into Oblivion. She needed no further encouragement. With a senseless battle yell on her lips and swords in her hands, Fallon charged at the emerging demon.

A mighty wind start whirling around her and it became difficult to move. Her hair blew into her face, stinging her eyes and cheeks. The gust confused her limbs, and she tripped multiple times as she sought to get closer, hardly the natural grace known of elves. But she continued onward, uncertain if her companions followed or if they had already been swallowed whole by the encroaching void. A few more steps and she was there, beside the monster as he exited his flesh cocoon. Sloth was hardly moving, perhaps this entire façade had drained him as much as his victims. She granted him barely more than a second thought as her swords drove themselves into his torso to the very hilt. Sloth collapsed to the ground, finally dead, and Fallon left her swords where they were, knowing the real ones awaited her in the Tower.

Surprisingly the strong winds did not cease, she had assumed it was some sort of spell but it didn't stop. Fallon turned back to her companions, who were rushing to her. The spirits were already gone and the Warden hoped silently that they realized how much she appreciated their help.

"You're going to wake up soon, but I need to ask a favor of you." Niall yelled into her ear, though only a fraction of the volume wasn't whisked away by the winds.

"Anything."

"The Litany of Adralla is on my body, any mage should be able to recite the incantation to prevent blood magic, please take it with you and destroy Uldred."

"Niall, what are you saying? You must come with us."

"I can't. Sloth fueled these fantasies with my life energy. I'm beyond help now. Please just rescue the Tower and… one more thing… there was a woman… I was quite fond of her. It never went beyond admiration but could you please tell her… Petra is her name…tell her that I am sorry I never got the courage to …. It doesn't matter.

"I promise she will get your message Niall. Thank you. Thank you so much for your help. I couldn't have done any of this without you," The wind was getting louder and the darkness was descending more rapidly. Fear crept into Fallon's throat at the thought of being enveloped by it. She knew it was her exit but at the same time wanted to avoid the darkness at all costs. From the corner of her eye Fallon noticed a bright blue orb of light descending on Wynne, still standing among her corpses. She had to raise her voice even louder, shrieking over the storm. "I would have… been lost. Niall….I will always….consider…. you a…"

* * *

"…friend." Her eyes opened and Fallon found herself staring at the high ceilings of the Circle Tower. She attempted to sit up but her hair tugged at her scalp, stuck to some substance on the floor. Fallon groaned and turned slightly to see it was dried blood. She groaned again, sitting up abruptly and tearing out a few hairs in the process. "Is everyone alright?" The response was murmurs and nods.

Fallon got to her feet and walked toward the abomination that originally housed Sloth. She gave it a swift kick, rolling it off of a dead man lying beneath. Niall looked peaceful, but very pale. Her hand searched for a pulse despite knowing his heart had long ceased beating. After confirming this truth she searched his pockets for the Litany. It had been crumpled but the old parchment was still legible.

"Niall was a good man." A tender voice said behind her, and Fallon turned to see Wynne, looking spritelier then the rest of the group. "He did not deserve this."

"None of these poor people did." Fallon gestured toward the bodies of Sloth's victims. "Are you alright Wynne? In the Fade you seemed…"

"I was plagued by the fears and prior circumstances had left me more vulnerable to the demon then I had anticipated. But, I am alive and I haven't adopted the monstrous appearance of an abomination… well… my appearance is no more monstrous than usual." Fallon wanted to reply to that, but her response was cut short by Leliana.

"We are taking this fight to Uldred now, yes?"

"Yes. And I promise all of you, he will not be ready for the likes of us."


	15. An Empty Grave

Chapter 15 : An Empty Grave

There was no time to give Niall a proper burial, a proper eulogy either. Leliana spoke a few words about the Maker as they hurried out of the chamber, the pungent odor of the pile of dead staying behind as well. It was sad that Niall had to remain in that pile when he deserved so much better. He wasn't just a nameless dead body and leaving him with all the others just felt wrong. However, Fallon decided that destroying Uldred was all Niall really wanted. They would worry about declaring him a hero afterwards. She'd make the request personally to Gregoir when this was all over.

The entrance to the next floor was only a few feet down the hall, blocked by a heavy door painted black. It took two people to wrench the thing open and once they entered the stairwell it slammed behind them with a mighty bang. The air inside the passageway was cold and stale. It smelled of mold and mildew, or the Alienage, as Fallon thought of it. The scent was familiar and comforting to her, everyone else scoffed and snorted as their nostrils were affronted with the stench. They ascended the stairs, enshrouded in darkness, with only the sounds of their own heavy breathing to echo in their ears. One hundred steps upward they climbed, completely insulated from the Circle's dangers for a moment, but all too afraid to speak and break whatever spell hovered over them. A faint glowing outline of the next door could just be made out as they climbed, growing larger as they neared it. The door was accompanied by an astringent smell, which over-powered the mold, and their shoes began sticking to the floor.

"We must be careful up here. This is where the senior mages research magic and complete experiments. It is the most dangerous floor in the Circle." Wynne whispered as Fallon cautiously twisted the door handle and walked into a seemingly innocent room. There was the soft pink corruption that dotted the lower floors, but other than that the room was undisturbed, cluttered with potion bottles but empty. Fallon waved them all in.

It took only a few seconds for a trap to be set off. Fallon hadn't noticed a wax rune marked onto the floor until she stepped on it. Suddenly a blue light etched its way across the wax, releasing a wave of energy and freezing Fallon's muscles. She attempted to say something but found her jaw immobile. She attempted to move but her arms were frozen at her side. Dawson pranced around the rune, barking incessantly at her captivity and attempting to dig her out. This was the moment an abomination decided to attack. It had been crouched behind one of the cluttered tables in the corner and jumped up so quickly that it knocked potions onto the stone floor. The glass shattered and odd colored liquid began pooling on the ground, mixing into bright shades and beautiful patterns.

"Don't get anything on your skin!" Wynne demanded as Zetheria sent lightning coursing through the monster's body. Morrigan hesitated and turned toward Fallon, but Wynne shook her head. "She isn't being injured. Get rid of the abomination first!" The immobile Grey Warden tried to nod, attempting to tell Morrigan it was fine, but still found herself stuck. She groaned in frustration at her uselessness, or would have, if her vocal cords had been allowed to vibrate properly.

The team of fighters went to deal with the abomination as the elf warden stood contained in an invisible prison. It was a frightening feeling, being confined in such a way, but Fallon tried to slow her pounding heart, calm with the knowledge that Wynne didn't think it was dangerous. Her eyes open, all she could do was watch the ensuing battle.

Fallon watched helplessly as Leliana tripped during her attempt to stab the oncoming monster with a dagger. The bard fell gracefully, but she still fell, her soft pink skin meeting briefly with the amalgamation of potions on the floor. Her forearm touched just the very corner of the puddle, barely wetting her skin. Yet the smallest drop caused her to shriek in pain, unable to pay attention to the monster approaching. The beast seemed intent on killing her, a fact that Leliana was oblivious to. Luckily, before it got close enough to land a deadly blow, Morrigan had disposed of it. First freezing the abomination, then shattering it into a million pieces. Leliana didn't even look up from her screaming.

The Glyph wore off and Fallon was released from her prison. She gave Dawson a reassuring pat that she was fine before dashing over to the redhead, who was already being attended to by Wynne. The yelling had not ceased and Fallon found her companions looking uneasily down the hallway, afraid of what might now be headed their way.

"What's wrong with her?" Zetheria asked uneasily, while everyone stared at the greenish black mottled skin on Leliana's arm. Whatever the potion was, it was spreading and getting worse.

"I'm not sure what this is. It could be a result of two potions mixing together, or it could be some poison a new Enchanter decided to concoct. Unfortunately, I'm not up here much and I'm not quite positive that I know how to cure it." Wynne explained to the group, using a loud voice to drown out Leliana's yelling. The red head's eyes were slightly clouded and she wasn't looking at them, her head lolled back against the old mage's arm, mouth wide.

" 'Twould render me amazed to discover something you were certain about." Morrigan grimaced at Wynne, who frowned back.

"However… I think I might be able to lessen her symptoms, but the only person experienced enough to cure her is either the creator of the poison or Irving."

"One more reason to make certain we get to him in time. Do you think she'll survive?" Fallon was just starting to really like the crazy prophet. She'd hate to see her join the Maker before her part of the story was truly finished.

"I'm not completely certain…" Wynne began, words interrupted by a sarcastic snort from Morrigan. She continued. "… but I will try to keep her alive as long as I can." Wynne turned back to the howling Leliana, laying her hands above the wound but not quite touching it. Wispy glowing fog streamed from the mage's fingertips into the bard's infected forearm. The greenish hue ceased, but the screaming continued.

"This doesn't look like a simple potion. She looks like she's being tormented to me. Has anyone seen magic like this before?" Fallon asked to all the magic users present. The two Circle mages shook their heads, but Morrigan nodded.

"Horror, a spell my mother enjoyed using on any Templars that entered the Wilds. Made them see hideous things, or so I assume. I would guess that is what afflicts the Chantry Sister."

"Could a spell be liquefied and bottled? Is it possible that it is something like that spell?" Fallon asked Wynne, gesturing to Morrigan beside her.

"I guess it is … possible… but highly unlikely."

"You said yourself they were experimenting here, perhaps they were looking for a way to give non-magical soldiers some magical help. If it can work with our health potions, why not some sort of magic bomb?"

"But you are misunderstanding, the health poultices aren't necessarily magical, and those that are have magic plant components, not liquid spells …."

"We need to stop her screaming and since it's the only explanation I have, I'm going to act on it. Zetheria, grab me a health potion. Alistair, I need you to neutralize the magic around Leliana."

"My magic is keeping her alive, you remove it and the poison will affect her again."

"Wynne give this a chance. I have no other plan on how to stop the yelling and we can't take her through the Tower like this. We'll give her the poultice the minute Alistair is through but otherwise I'm out of ideas. Do you have any you'd like to share?" Dawson barked at Fallon's question, which almost made her smile. "I'm sorry, boy, I don't understand mabari." He wagged his tail in response. Wynne looked at the elf grimly but nodded, still supporting the poisoned rogue's head.

Alistair approached quickly, placed his fingers on Leliana's soft white skin and closed his eyes in concentration. Fallon wondered what it would feel like to be a Templar, and if there powers were even comparable to those of mages. She had her taste of magic and it was addictive. Perhaps when this was through, she could ask Alistair to teach her some Templar tricks, fill the void her shapeshifting powers had left behind. As Fallon pondered this idea, the screaming ceased, and her heart leapt into her throat. The jarring and sudden silence were side effects of two things, success or death, she hoped it was the former.

"She's still breathing… and her eyes aren't quite as clouded." Alistair murmured as he removed his gauntlets and checked Leliana's vital signs. Fallon let out a sigh of relief as Zetheria stepped forward to give the woman a health poultice. The bright red liquid splashed slightly on her lips before making its way into her mouth. Leliana didn't choke, so she seemed to still understand the concept of swallowing. "We need to find a way to carry her."

"Whose brilliant idea was it to leave Sten behind, again?" Fallon muttered to herself in frustration, pacing slightly in an attempt to stumble across an idea. "Someone help me over here, we'll pry the legs off these tables and use it as a litter." Fallon and Morrigan flipped the table over with ease but removing the legs was more difficult. They worked together, wrenching it back and forth, and when that didn't work, tried kicking it. The table leg splintered with incredible force, shards of wood flying high into the air. Their attempts were interrupted when the poisoned bard spoke.

"I can walk… I'll just need some help." Leliana whimpered softly as she started to regain consciousness. She got to her feet slowly and had a slight wobble to her gait when she attempted to make a step. "That was … a powerful spell." She added with a smile. Dawson moved himself beside her, allowing the woman to steady herself with a hand on his back.

"Are you well enough to fight?" Fallon had abandoned the overturned lopsided table thankful that she wouldn't have to pull off any more legs. Somehow a sliver had figured out a way through her chainmail and it insisted on remaining in her skin. Leliana nodded before replying.

"It takes a lot more to stop me. Let's get moving."

* * *

Wynne had been right in warning them of the dangers on this level. Under normal circumstances, when the mages had everything supervised and easily contained if an experiment went wrong, it would have only been hazardous to venture here. Now every step was life-threatening. They had to search carefully for concealed traps, potions, glyphs that had been left behind, and all manner of creatures that the mages had brought to test their spells on. In one room they came across a bear that was thankfully still caged. Added to all this, were the demons, blood mages, and abominations that still stalked the halls, leaping out during the most inconvenient moments.

After fighting for what felt like hours, Fallon found herself and Alistair covered in the blood of their enemies. She felt sad for the lives lost today, the mages who had resorted to blood magic to earn their freedom. Zetheria was one of them and if Fallon hadn't known who she was then her blood would be mixed in with the others upon her skin.

Besides the terrible guilt the sight of the blood brought her, it also gave her bad memories. She hadn't asked the guards in Vaughan's castle if they supported the man or if they were just doing their jobs, attempting to make some money for their families. Perhaps, she could have found an ally in a few of them if she hadn't brutally slaughtered everyone in her path. She'd been so focused on her own family she forgot about theirs. How many children were now fatherless because of her? However, Nelaros' ring still remained on her finger and it was only there because those guards had killed him. They had been protecting the man who raped Shianni. She would have to remind herself of that to avoid spiraling into oppressing waves of guilt; for now, ignoring it was best.

"You've got a few drops on your cheek. Here let me get it." Alistair broke her from her toxic thoughts. He approached gloveless, wiping the red drops from her face. He smiled at her when he finished. He had such a nice smile, it warmed Fallon's heart just looking at it. "Much better. Now you don't look like such an abomination yourself." He laughed maniacally and Fallon joined him in it, letting out a brief sigh at the end.

"Oh Alistair… way to ruin a moment." She started to walk away, trying her best to sashay the way Morrigan often did.

"Wait… that was a moment? Come back… I'll fix it…" He sputtered after her, smiling as he followed. She turned around to look at him, attempting to look disinterested.

"Oh no, it's quite ruined now." She was going to tease him further but her rant was interrupted as she walked head long into a scaly surface.

Fallon pushed herself off it, looking up to see a scaly head attached to the surface. It smiled a beastly smile at her, exposing its deadly weapons. Long jagged teeth snapped in her direction, halting an inch before her face. It took Fallon half a moment to remember how to breathe, still she grabbed Fang and her other sword from her back and stabbed at the thick skinned creature. It didn't penetrate very deeply, but distracted the monster for a moment so Fallon could take a step back.

"Is that a…"

"Yes, I believe that is a dragon." Alistair said as he unsheathed his sword.

"Where are its wings?"

"I don't think the males have wings."

"But the archdemon is male isn't it?"

"I don't make the rules, Fallon. I just kill the monsters and look pretty."

This dragon, if it was in fact a dragon, wasn't as big as the one she'd dreamed about earlier. It rose only a few heads taller than Alistair. Its scales were thick and charcoal colored. The creature swung at them with its front claw, but they dodged to the side. Fallon turned around and yelled for her companions to hurry up. The claw swung again, sticking into her leather but not penetrating her skin. She used the opportunity to stab the dragon between its wrist bones, cutting several tendons and important muscles. It yelled in pain and Fallon felt sorry for it. The creature was probably just as frightened as they were, but it was dangerous and they couldn't let it continue living.

It stumbled, unable to put any weight on the front foot, and collapsed onto the ground, shooting out a stream of smoke from its nostrils as it did. Alistair and Fallon briskly ran forward, they arranged themselves on one side of its neck, and before it had a chance to recover, they thrust their swords into its head in unison. Remorse panged in Fallon's gut once more, but at least they put the creature out of its misery.

"What's all this?" Zetheria asked breathlessly as she came jogging into the room. "Did you just kill a Drake?" Fallon looked at the white haired mage with severe irritation.

"Yes we did. Where were you? We called for your help several minutes ago."

"Leliana fell again. She's getting worse."

"Then we'd better get to Irving and find whatever miracle cure he has."

"We're getting close."

"Good. I want to put this whole thing behind me as quickly as I can." Fallon moved toward a table near the dead Drake. It was littered with potions and magical metal instruments that were foreign to the city elf. She perused them carefully without touching and waited for her companions to catch up. Alistair stood beside her, looking down at the dead dragon at his feet. From the corner of her eye, Fallon noticed Zee shift uncomfortably, as though she had something plaguing her mind.

"I need to speak with you about that…. About after we defeat Uldred." Zetheria walked up to the two Wardens, determination in her eyes. "I will be attempting to escape the Templars."

"You promised to submit to the Templars when Fallon spared your life. That was part of the deal." Alistair's voice was hostile. He wasn't a templar any longer, but some of the training stuck, and Fallon could tell he just didn't trust apostates. Worse still, Zetheria was an admitted blood mage. That was like throwing mead onto a campfire, eventually the glass would break and the flames would explode upwards. Fallon hoped to temper this in Alistair, or at least delay it.

"We should listen to what she has to say. She wouldn't take us aside just to break her oath, I'm sure there is more to this." Fallon added, knowing full well there wasn't much more to it. Zetheria had already promised to escape once before and her friend still wasn't sure what to do if that happened.

"I have learned blood magic so, should you turn me over to the Templars, they will kill me. I have already proven several times over that I am pure of heart, if somewhat naïve and misguided in the past. There is only one way out of this tower. A friend of mine showed me it once before he escaped, but it is in the Harrowing Chamber and very difficult to open. Instead of resorting to skulking off I would request that you make me a Grey Warden so I might leave these walls with the two of you." Zetheria let out a large sigh after she finished her speech, a heavy weight lifted off her chest.

"We don't know how to make any more Grey Wardens, besides I doubt very strongly you'd be willing to run from one restricting order to another. You don't get to do what you want, or be what you want as a Grey Warden. It is about defeating the Blight and that is all. I'm sorry but I doubt you would be a good fit." Alistair finished saying, anger still in his words at her impending escape, but his eyes had softened dramatically.

"I think it is noble that you wished to join us, but I must agree with Alistair. You are too wild-hearted to be chained by the Wardens demands." Fallon added, trying to ease Zee's heart by giving her a tender smile. The blood mage simply brooded at them for a moment, looking at both of their faces for several seconds before speaking again. She leaned against the far wall.

"I used to believe in the Maker. I listened to sermons in the Alienage square and believed the same as my parents, but when I developed this gift…. I…. I just knew it wasn't the curse the Chantry spoke of. Then I came here and I felt lost until I found books about the Creators. Those that believe in the Creators don't treat their mages like monsters. They give them positions of power and their culture doesn't turn into the Tevinter Imperium… I just feel that perhaps I was born in the wrong place, the wrong time. I would have been much better off born a Dalish. If you won't let me join you, then let me join them. They can still teach me magic, but I'll be allowed to experience the world outside these walls... " Fallon nearly laughed at the final statement but she held it in and instead offer an incredulous comment.

"Dalish? The Dalish aren't real." Immediately, Fallon regretted this. Both Alistair and Zetheria gave her a strange look.

"Of course Dalish are real. There are constantly complaints about them made by the villages near the Brecillian Forest. How did you not know about them?" Alistair asked her, completely distracted from Zetheria's request. The Warden immediately felt betrayal. Her entire life she had been led to believe the Dalish were myth. She had contemplated escaping to find them when faced with the option to marry, but she didn't know if she would ever find them. The humans sought to control their elf neighbors in so many ways, Fallon was almost afraid to discover what else she had been lied to about.

Fallon almost attempted to answer Alistair's question, but was thankfully rescued from this painful task by the appearance of her other companions. Wynne and Morrigan were now forced to support the injured Leliana, who was again looking quite pale. Fallon grabbed another health potion from her backpack and gave it to the Sister, who drank it quickly.

"I fear the potions and spells won't work forever. We need a permanent cure. We need Irving." Wynne whispered hurriedly to Fallon as Leliana finished the potions contents.

"Then let us go get him."

* * *

At the foot of the stairs sat a templar, blood on his cheek and fear in his eyes. He was surrounded by others who had not been lucky enough to survive this long. The man had dark circles under his eyes and spoke as the group approached.

"Leave me demons! I will not be fooled by your treachery. I will not succumb to any of your tricks. Begone." Fallon and Alistair exchanged a look, but before they had a moment to speak, Zetheria stepped forward.

"Oh Cullen. What have they done to you?"

"These visions don't evaporate. Then you must be real."

"We are real. What are they doing to you Cullen?" Z attempted to get closer, but an invisible barrier prevented this. Instead she knelt upon the ground, looking kindly at the Templar.

"Uldred and his followers brought me here. They tortured us. Tortured the other mages. Then they took them into the Harrowing Chamber."

"Was Irving with them?" Wynne's voiced was filled with concern.

"I think so. It's so hard to remember. The noises that have been coming out of the Chamber… for days… no one could survive that."

"You survived Cullen." Fallon added, addressing the injured templar.

" I'm the only one. You have to kill them, no matter what they say, I know they're abominations now."

"Cullen! That's a horrible thing to suggest."

"Is it Zetheria? It's a kindness after what those people have been through. Kill them all, a single abomination cannot be allowed to live." Zetheria backed away from the magic barrier, and shot Fallon a glance that promised death if the warden took his advice. Fallon ignored the look, instead continued talking to Cullen.

"Sparing one abomination is better than killing one innocent."

"Are you jesting? Have you seen what happened here? That's idiotic."

"No Cullen, it's the right thing. You are just confused because of the torture you've gone through."

"I am not confused!" The templar bellowed, beating his fists on the magical barrier. Fallon turned away from him.

"Leliana, I need you to stay here, keep an eye on the door and keep any more monsters from getting past this point." Leliana smiled in her weakened state, hobbled over to the doorway, and leaned against it.

"I'll be sure to keep the hordes at bay." The Chantry sister said as she slid down the door frame, landing with a thud in a sitting position.

"I need Dawson and Morrigan to stay and watch he…"

"Have I not proven myself useful many times over? Why leave me to watch the sickly archer? One of the Circle mages would be a better choice for this." Morrigan interrupted, arms crossed and thoroughly dejected. Dawson barked happily and walked over to the injured Sister.

"I need one of them to recite the litany of Adralla when we need it." She pulled Morrigan to the side. "And I also need someone that I can trust here to keep an eye on that Templar. I don't trust him at all." Morrigan sighed loudly.

"As you wish."

"The rest of you come with me. We don't have much time."

"You're kindness will doom us all. Mark my words." Cullen called out ominously, his voice echoing in his cylindrical prison. Fallon ignored him, and walked toward the stairs to the Harrowing Chamber. Alistair and Wynne took up the rear, with Zetheria directly beside the Warden Commander. Fallon whispered to her.

"This Cullen… a friend of yours?"

"A kindly captor. He had a misguided infatuation with me."

"Did you return these affections?" Z scoffed behind her.

"That's like asking a slave if she has feelings for her master. You can't love someone who keeps you in chains."

* * *

Uldred looked as though nothing had changed since Ostagar. The man who had told Fallon of the elf rebellions was even wearing the same robes, though they bore some slight singe marks. His face still bore the same stern and irritated expression, even as the man he tortured screamed in pain. The mage never flinched; he just methodically went about his work.

"Stop!" Fallon called out as they walked into the room. Uldred was surrounded by a group of Abominations, and in the corner sat twenty-five or so mages. Some only bore cuts, others were very badly maimed and lying in pools of blood. The entire room smelled horrendous, Fallon wished she could cover her nose to hide from it. Uldred and his abomination looked up from their grisly work.

"I recognize that robe. That is Almaya. She wildly opposed Uldred." Wynne was gesturing toward the disfigured abomination to the left. "He's torturing these people so they will allow demons to possess them. He is creating abominations."

"Not anymore he's not." Fallon drew her swords.

"Ah, so I see…" Uldred started to speak but his works were cut off as the Warden Commander thrust a sword through his belly. The enchanter stumbled and fell when Fallon withdrew the sword. Instead of blood or innards falling out there was a quiet hissing noise, followed by a black tar substance seeping from the wound. "Did you think it would be that easy to kill me?" Uldred asked, a deep voice layered beneath his own. His eyes glowed with unnatural intensity.

" He's an abomination! Fallon get out of th…" Wynne started to call out, but before the elf could register her words a great gust of magic blew her off her feet. The force landed squarely in her chest, knocking the wind from her lungs. Before her, Uldred's skin split open and the black tar pour from every orifice. It covered his body, piling ontop of itself, until a new form began to take shape. A monstrously tall creature with too many eyes took the place of the mousy bald mage. It cackled as it looked upon the foursome. Then it struck. Fallon ran.

With the creature's eyes only for the elf, they were at an advantage. Wynne read the Litany of Adralla, while Alistair and Zetheria protected her from the approaching abominations. Meanwhile Fallon perfect the art of evasion as Uldred stomped after her. Twice she messed up, once stubbing a toe on an outcropping rock and another time tripping over a corpse, but Fallon was able to recover from these brief errors, using the latter one to her advantage, slashing Uldred as he turned.

Run, wait, turn, slash. The process repeated itself through the entire battle. With the others preoccupied there was no one for Fallon to turn to, so she had to face the monster on her own. That meant slowly wearing him down. But while Uldred was graced with otherworldly stamina, Fallon wasn't, and she was spiraling into exhaustion. Adrenaline could only carry a woman so far. She needed to finish this fight quickly.

Uldred's hard black plating was difficult to get past. It was thick in most parts like the shell of a turtle, but there was the occasional weak spot. Fallon had found one such spot near his ribs, close to the monster's heart. If she didn't time the thrust perfectly, then Uldred would be able to grab and crush her with ease.

She slowed her pace slightly, back still to the approaching monster, took a deep breath and turned. Adaia had taught her how to maneuver quite well, she dodged as Uldred attempted to knock her back, rolled away from a stomp he aimed at her head, and thrust both swords into his side. It should have been an easy kill but Fallon hadn't calculated correctly. Both swords were caught on Uldred's rib cage. She had only one chance, now Uldred would crush her for sure.

Just as his arm started to swing back, the creature screamed, arm swinging away from Fallon and toward a new enemy. Zetheria. The white-haired mage stood in front of the monster, wrists slit and blood coursing from the wound. As Fallon watched the blood boiled upon the ground around Uldred's feet. He screamed once more.

The distraction was all Fallon needed. The elf pulled the swords from his side and thrust them in once more, this time past the ribs and into his heart. Uldred instantly stopped screaming and fell into puddle of Zetheria's blood.

"That's three times I've saved your life." The mage's voice was startlingly close, Fallon turned to find her wrapping her wounds. Alistair and Wynne were busy slaying the last Abomination. "Is it enough to earn my freedom?"

"Why do you deserve freedom and Uldred deserves to die?"

"Because I am not a monster. I just seek to have grass beneath my bare feet, to sleep in a room that is mine alone, to marry and have a family."

"And maybe I could have let you if you hadn't taken up blood magic in the first place. I rushed here to find you, to rescue you, but then it turned out you were part of the problem."

"So then I'm to be turned over to the Templars? They'll make me Tranquil, strip my powers and my emotions. Killing me now would be a much kinder fate."

"I can't let you go."

"You told Cullen that sparing one abomination is better than killing one innocent. If I stay, this place will kill me, one way or another. Please, just let me leave. I beg of you, I promise that you will not regret this decision."

* * *

Fallon was kneeling beside Uldred, the exhaustion had set in and she could barely keep her eyes open. There were footsteps behind her, but she didn't even have the energy to turn. The walk back to the main gates would not be fun. She sighed.

"Thank you, my dear girl, for coming to our rescue. We had all assumed it was an impossible dream. I thought Uldred would kill us all." An unfamiliar and gravelly voice, an older man had hobbled over to the Warden, though she still did not wish to turn around.

"Fallon, this is Irving. We'll be leaving in a moment, after Alistair rounds up the survivors. Irving says he has a potion for that friend of yours but it's on the… Wait a moment…. Where is Zetheria?" As Wynne spoke these words Fallon gathered the energy to stand and turn toward them, tears in her eyes.

"Uldred killed her… I jus…" Fallon gestured toward the large pool of Zetheria's blood beneath the deceased abomination. The sound of stones grinding met her ears as a secret passageway disappeared behind a statue once again, but it was muffled by false sobs and kind words spoken over an empty grave.


	16. Change of Plans

**Change Of Plans**

* * *

_Kingsway 17th, The Imperial Highway_

"Well Goodness! I wasn't expecting to see you all again. Glad the abominations didn't skin you." Bodahn was leaning against his cart two days outside of Lake Calenhad. Fallon didn't respond, she simply glowered at him for a moment. "I was certain you hadn't survived. Couldn't have my boy near the place when the demons broke through."

"I told the dwarf not to leave but he refused to listen." Sten said, frowning more severely than usual.

"Of course I didn't. And you'd do the same if you were me. I had to run back and get my supplies anyway. Most of it was picked off I'll have you know. I was going to return to help you later."

"And when would that be, Bodahn? You're headed North to Orzammar." Fallon asked, with her arms crossed in irritation.

"Well I had to of course. Heard a traveler talking about King Endrin's death. The trade in Orzammar will be shut off soon enough." Fallon sighed in irritation and rubbed her brow. Things were never easy. Never.

" I guess we're headed to Orzammar then. We have some gold to pay you for passage, Mr. Feddick, if you still want to travel with us." She opened her coin purse and took a few sovereigns out of it. She had planned to give the dwarf most of the reward she received from the Circle Tower, but since he had abandoned them he was lucky to receive anything at all. The merchant nodded politely and put the gold in his pocket, beckoning for them to follow but looking cautiously at the giant Qunari.

"The man is a liar and a cheat. Why do you continue to trust him?" Sten said, barely 3 feet from Bodahn and not attempting to conceal his voice.

"I never said I trusted the man, Sten. But the relationship is mutually beneficial. Similar to ours." Fallon added, walking away from the wagon. Sten followed.

"I gave you my word Warden. There is no reason you should continue not to trust me."

"Your sunny disposition and the fact that you were convicted of murder says differently. If we just keep our eye on Bodahn and make sure to throw business his way there shouldn't be anymore problems."

"You speak the logic of a woman. I do not understand why I must take orders from you."

"Well you don't have to understand, just obey. Now please go help Wynne and Sandal with the horses." Sten scoffed but proceeded, knowing that this was to be his punishment. Fallon left them to it and began walking back toward the camp where the others were packing up.

The Warden already regretted allowing Wynne to accompany them. In the two days that she had spent with the group outside of the Circle, the mage had been very judgmental and never ceased to give advice . She hounded Morrigan many times about the use of illegal magic, and questioned the validity of the Qun openly to Sten. Dawson needed a bath and Alistair would look so much better if he shaved his facial hair. It was one thing after another, although everything was always mentioned with concern in her voice.

Since Fallon invited Wynne to join them Morrigan had recessed even further from the group. She hid in her tent when they weren't travelling and worked on deciphering the Grimoire. Though she had been extremely grateful, Fallon felt the apostate become withdrawn as she delved deeper into Flemeth's book. They hadn't spoken much since the Tower.

The Circle mages had been gracious enough to give the group supplies when it was discovered that Bodhan had abandoned them. The women had been forced to share a large tent and the men a small one. This was likely why Alistair seemed particularly dejected, sleeping with Sten two nights in a row would anger anyone. He cursed the dwarf for a full day before his anger abated, though he was still prone to mutter under his breath when anyone mentioned him. Now that they found the man, Fallon wasn't sure what the ex-Templar would do.

Their current camp was a mile or so from Lake Calenhad, nestled in a small clearing of trees far enough from the Imperial Highway to avoid bandits. Fallon, Sten and Wynne had stumbled onto the Dwarf when they walked up to the road to ask passersby for some information. Word had been sent to the Circle that Lothering had fallen to a darkspawn attack and they were trying to corroborate this. The chances that the man passing by would be Bodahn were too slim to be believable.

Morrigan was still reading, feet propped up on a stone near the fire. Leliana was making lunch and Alistair was packing their tents. He smiled at Fallon when she burst through the collection of briars riming the camp.

"Any luck at the road?" Leliana stopped stirring the stew to look up at Fallon. She had been heartbroken to discover Lothering might no longer exist and the elf couldn't blame her for that. The red head told them she'd lived there for ten years. She knew every man, woman, and child. She had been with them during their most difficult moments and to learn they may have been overrun by darkspawn was too much. Fallon hoped they could find out the rumors weren't true.

"Luck but not the kind we were hoping for. Bodahn and his son just passed us on the road."

"Bodahn! You're telling me that dwarf passed by you and didn't even stop?" Alistair scoffed. He left his packing to complain beside Fallon. She shook her head in response.

" No, he stopped. Said the king of Orzammar died. I'm sorry Alistair, but we will need to make a stop there before we visit Arl Eamon."

"Wait… he stopped to trade information then ran off again?"

"No he's going with us. Wynne and Sten are helping him with his horses and then we…" Alistair didn't stick around to hear the last part. He grabbed his sword and set off in the direction that Fallon had come from. "…you're not even paying attention to me …and now you're gone. Alright then." The red-haired elf huffed and walked over to the others. Morrigan still hadn't looked up from her mother's book.

"Will he hurt him?" Leliana asked with concern in her voice, Fallon just shook her head. Alistair probably just wanted his tent back. She walked over to satchel Alistair had been packing and resumed his job.

"I'm sorry that we don't know more about Lothering, Leliana. I understand how you feel. Last I heard there was a rebellion at the Denerim Alienage and I have no idea what happened to my family. Were you close to anyone in particular in Lothering?"

"The brothers and sisters in the Chantry mostly, but I loved everyone there. I hope they got away. A few of the sisters were talking about using donations to move the refugees up to Hill's Fort."

"I'm sure that's what happened. How did you get to Lothering from Orlais?"

"It's… it's a long story. I don't really…"

"We have some time you know. And Morrigan is so engrossed in that book I doubt we have to worry about her overhearing any embarrassing details."

"Just because I am reading, dear Warden," Morrigan spoke without taking her eyes from the weathered pages of her book. "does not mean I have lost my hearing."

"I don't mind if Morrigan hears. I was… I was always interested in the Chantry so I decided to come to Ferelden to become a lay sister." She blurted this out quickly and looked flustered when she was finished.

"Leliana… that doesn't make sense. The Grand Cathedral is in Orlais. Why wouldn't you practice at one of the many Chantries there?"

"Well, my mother was from Ferelden you see, a handmaiden to an Orlesian lady. She was forced to leave when the Orlesians were overthrown and I just felt like I was returning home."

" I think the Chantry sister is hiding something." Morrigan said silkily, finally closing her book for a moment.

"No I… it's just that…I am in trouble with the Orlesian Chevaliers. They aren't like guards here. They are allowed to do whatever they wish to the regular people."

"It is fine Leliana. Just relax. You can tell us about your past when you are a bit more comfortable." Fallon got up from her seat and patted the woman's hand. She let out a sigh of relief and returned to the stew. Morrigan huffed and got up, approaching Fallon as she took down the second tent.

"Why not press her for more information? She is clearly hiding something." Morrigan whispered as Fallon pulled the stakes up and put them in a pouch.

"Why don't I press you for information? There are some things that people just don't want to share."

"Ah, and what is it that you do not wish to share?" Fallon paused for just a moment. Her mind went to the things she had not told anyone. How her mother died. The guards she had murdered to save her cousin. Her betrothed lying in a pool of blood and handing her the ring that she still wore. Letting Zetheria escape into the wilderness due to their childhood friendship. Alistair wouldn't be too fond of the last one.

"I'm actually a male elf. You humans can never tell us apart." Morrigan smiled lightly and didn't press the issue further. Fallon liked her but she still didn't know if she could really trust her.

Dawson bounded out of the woods before Fallon completed taking up the stakes. With a rabbit in his mouth, he marched into the tent completely unperturbed. The elf tried to call him out twice, sighed loudly, and followed him in. The mabari sat in the center of the tent looking at her expectantly.

"If I trust anyone, it is you." She sat down beside the mabari, looked into his dark brown eyes, and shared her secrets.

* * *

Alistair and Wynne didn't show up for another hour. They explained that Sten had requested to stay behind and make sure Bodahn didn't take off again. Leliana's stew was finally finished so they all gathered around the fire to eat their meal. She even gave Dawson a dish, which he gobbled up quickly and began begging the others for more.

"Bodahn said he'll be ready to get moving as soon as we pack up the camp. Are you sure Orzammar is a good place to be at the moment? From what I hear the Assembly doesn't know who to crown King." Wynne put her plate of stew on the ground as she spoke. Dawson lapped some of it before receiving a light swat from Wynne on his backside.

"It's the best course of action. We need the dwarves to help us. If we don't ask soon then Loghain might approach the new king and tell them whatever lies he wants."

"Arl Eamon will help us whenever we ask. I am fine with putting off our trip to Redcliffe. I…um…apologize for running off on you earlier." Alistair didn't make eye contact with Fallon, instead his eyes were on the ground as he shoved the soup into his mouth.

"It wasn't a problem Alistair. I finished the conversation by myself." She smiled but he still wasn't meeting her eyes.

"Could I talk to you for a moment? In private? There is something serious that we need to discuss." Fallon's heart leapt into her throat. Did he find out about Zetheria somehow? She nodded in response and followed him to the edge of the forest, but continuously racked her brain for how he uncovered her betrayal.

The two only walked a short distance, but the terrain was hazardous enough for it to be slow moving as they marched through bushes and avoided nettle patches. Alistair didn't speak the entire time, which made Fallon even more nervous. Usually any sort of trekking would be accompanied with his humorous narration. When the Warden Commander tripped on a root and her Templar companion didn't make fun at her expense, she knew something was wrong.

"Alistair, stop. You need to tell me what is going on." She held a sapling away from her face as she spoke. The leaves tickled at her exposed skin. Alistair turned slowly, and Fallon just noticed his face was very red, as though they had just come from vigorous battle.

"Here. Do you know what this is?" He awkwardly held out his hand. Fallon looked down to see a slightly wilted rose in his extended palm. Tentatively, she picked it up, exchanging a confused and cautious look with Alistair.

"Is this a trick question?"

"Yes. I'm trying to trick you. Is it working?" He smiled and punctuated each sentence with sarcasm. Fallon smiled back, unsure of what this was but content that he was not angry with her.

"Alright… it's a rose." The smell of the flower was sweet, but a faint odor of death was already attached to the fragrance. Fallon looked around for a bush bearing more blossoms. "Where did you get it?"

"I picked it up in Lothering. I remember thinking 'How could something so beautiful exist in a place with so much death and despair?' I couldn't leave it for the darkspawn to destroy. I'd been keeping the thing in my pack, giving it water and sunlight. But that damned dwarf ran off with it and now the poor thing's starting to wilt." He looked at the flower sadly.

"It is still beautiful and I appreciate your sentiment." Fallon went to hand it back, but Alistair held up his hand in reply.

"I thought that I could give it to you, because, in a lot of ways, I think of the same thing when I look at you." She felt her heart skip a beat and her cheeks went instantly red.

"You think of me shriveling up because a dwarf didn't give me enough sunlight?" Fallon regretted her attempt at humor. She wasn't sure how to reply to Alistair's comment, but apparently making a fool of herself was a natural instinct. The man, thankfully, ignored it with a polite smile and continued on.

"I was just thinking. Here I am doing all this complaining, about Duncan, about the others… but you haven't been having a good time of it either. You've had none of the good experiences of being a Grey Warden. It has been nothing but tragedy since your Joining. I thought maybe I could say something. Tell you what a rare and wonderful thing you are to find amidst all this darkness."

"I… don't know what to say. Thank you Alistair. I feel the same way about you." She had difficulty voicing her affection. Talking about feelings was not her strong suit.

"I'm glad you like it. Now if we could just move past this awkward stage and straight to the steamy bits, I'd appreciate it."

"I… what did you say?" Fallon asked, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Jest… just a jest…. I have this terrible habit of putting my foot in my mouth. It'll grow on you I promise." Just as Fallon was about to respond, they heard a noise. It sounded like a woman screaming. Both turned in alarm toward the north, where the sound had originated from. It hung in the trees for a moment, echoing off the countryside, and then faded into nothing.

"You head back to camp. I am going to go check it out." Fallon said as she rushed past him, carefully tucking the rose stem into her belt. The sound of his footsteps did not dwindle off into the other direction and the elf turned to see Alistair directly behind her.

"I'm not letting you run off by yourself." So the two Wardens ran off toward potential danger together.

As it should be, Fallon thought to herself.

The forest gave way to small road. Mosses and ferns had already begun to overtake this side street, with bits of elfroot cropping up in the center of the packed earth. It showed faint signs of recent travel, but Fallon and Alistair were forced to pause for a moment to determine which direction they should head. Another much closer scream told them the answer, and they set out once more.

The Wardens traveled but a few more yards before a figure began to take shape, running in their direction. A woman, her blouse torn slightly, blonde hair disheveled. She looked frightened, but relieved to find the two adventurers.

"Please, come quick! Bandits attacked my wagon."

"Stay here miss. We can take care of this." The woman ignored her.

" I'll show you the way. Follow me!" The blonde sped off down the path, back toward the danger she had just warned them about. Knowing it would be certain death for the unarmed woman, they followed her quickly, having a difficult time keeping up.

As they marched onward, into the center of a clearing, a scene began to unfold. Before the wardens, blocking the path, lay an overturned cart with oxen on either side, throats slit. Following the trail of blood, Fallon saw a dead man, reins still clutched in his hands, lying at the feet of a blonde elf that was very much alive. The look he gave them made her pause. Something wasn't quite right. She stopped running. Alistair stopped as well and looked at her.

"Fallon? Is something wrong?"

She drew her weapons, Fang in one hand, its unnamed twin in the other. Alistair mimicked her cautiously, but still did not see any enemies. The blonde elf gave them an unfriendly and severe smile as the woman they were helping stood beside him.

"That was all too easy." He half whispered with the grimace. "The Grey Wardens die here!" The man pulled two daggers from his back as other warriors jumped out from behind the overturned cart. In her peripheral vision she noticed movement on the hills beside her. Archers most likely, but she didn't have time for more than a glance.

"Take care of the archers." Fallon ordered, as she rushed forward to deal with the main onslaught. They could have really used some mages at the moment, but unfortunately Morrigan and Wynne were still back at camp. Likely, bickering by now.

Fallon dodged an arrow as she ran forward, meeting the first attacker with a two blows across the chest. The first one didn't cut through his armor and he blocked the second with a blade. She moved slightly to the side to avoid a jab and used the man's momentum to stab into his own exposed side. It cut through the weak leather and punctured his internal organs. The man groaned and fell, slipping off the blade.

The next attacker ran forward. The blonde elf with a wide mouth and weird tattoos. He was clearly more skilled then the others, coming at Fallon with incredible speed, slashing and dodging like a precise wildcat. Twice he caught her, once on the soft exposed skin of her hand and other time on her armored shoulder. In a second, Fallon decided to use his experience against him. She feigned an obvious attack to his chest. The man noticed this obvious feign. He ignored it and, unfortunately for him, Fallon followed through. His leather armor was thin and blood dripped from the slash as he fell. She moved on.

The Warden glanced up at the hill to her companion. His wooden shield was covered in arrow stalks as he cut another archer down. She was happy to see him safe, and turned back to her own fight. The remaining three came at her at once.

Suddenly she was kneeling, her left knee had crumpled. Startled, Fallon turned to discover why and found a crossbow bolt sunken an inch into her thigh. As she stared the pain began to creep up into her mind, the feel of the iron beneath her skin and muscle. Extracting the object was impossible at the moment with two swords in hand and three charging opponents. Fallon leaned severely left as the attackers reached her, dodging a swinging blow from an axe. She supported herself on her left hand, rendering Fang useless for the moment. The axe-wielder received a stab to the stomach as he sought to recover from his missed swing. The stab successfully knocked the wind from his lungs but didn't pierce his armored belly. Fallon needed more momentum to kill this one. She started swinging her free sword left away from the attacker while pushing herself out of the leaning position. Fang joined the other sword as she swung them over her head and quickly across the man's armor, cutting through and into him. Blood spurted and he fell.

Still kneeling, Fallon noticed the other two attackers, one armed with a large shield and hammer, the other was the woman that led them here in the first place. She stood behind the man, conjuring some sort of spell. Fallon glared. How nice it would be if she could use magic right now, she would torch the woman into oblivion. The brief image gave her a jolt of pleasure and the motivation to get to her feet despite the arrow sticking out of her. The metal head was working its way in deeper with each step but she couldn't stop now.

She ran toward them, first with a limp, but was quickly able to override the pain with her urge to murder that blonde woman. The blood pumping in her ears drowned out the sound of her own terrifying screaming.

The man tried to block with his thick leather-bound shield. He looked uncertain, perhaps he had not been anticipating Fallon to cut down their leader so quickly. She decided to use this to her advantage. It was something her mother had taught her long ago. When an enemy is scared or nervous it can be seen in the way they stand. Everything is defensive. They become jumpy and introverted in battle. The way this man stood, with his shoulders up, clutching his shield as though it was his mother, and veins practically popping out of his neck, meant he was already on the run in his mind. She just needed to give him a little push.

She started swinging like a wild person, leaving herself open and gaining little ground in the battle, but the point was not to kill this man yet. Her swords clanged into his shield on either side over and over. The man's shoulders hunched more and more. He got closer and closer to his shield for protection from the blows. Then, with a quick kick to the front of it, the shield bashed into the man's face, breaking his nose. The elf screamed in agony as she remembered the arrow in her leg only after putting all her weight on it. Someone shouted behind her but the words faded beneath Fallon and her assailant's bellowing. The man stepped backward howling, swinging his hammer aimlessly as the blow had left him temporarily blinded. Fallon used the moment to stab him in the neck, severing his spinal cord. Now for the final combatant.

Fallon barely had time to grab the shield to block the mage's spell, and even then it was backwards with the strap facing the blonde woman. Icy winds, meant to freeze, bounced harmlessly off the shield which her shoulder and right hand were supporting. She had been forced to drop one of her swords to grab the shield but if she hadn't the spell would have gone straight to her chest. Freezing her heart solid. No matter of magic could restore that.

Fallon could feel the blood begin to retreat from her fingertips as frostbite began to kick in. The waves of cold winds kept coming, cooling the air around her as well. The Warden shivered and her breath became visible.

How much longer does this spell last, she thought to herself angrily, I'd like to keep some of my fingers.

Even as she thought the words, the onslaught ceased and Fallon was quick to her feet, casting the shield aside and plunging with her sword. Only, the mage was dead. An arrow bolt stuck out of her chest, her bosom had already begun pooling with blood. The elf looked behind her to see Alistair on the hill, discarding a crossbow. They smiled at each other.

"Sorry. Looked like you were having a spot of trouble."

"Nothing…. I couldn't… have taken care of." She voiced with chattering teeth as the last of the cold shivered out of her body. Fallon clenched and shook her hand, hoping to regain blood flow in the fingers. They started tingling unpleasantly and she knew that feeling would return. "What was this about?"

"That blonde elf said something about Grey Wardens. I guess Loghain decided to send another group after us."

"Let's search their bodies, aee if we can find any answers." Alistair nodded at her request, left the hill behind and set to work. She started on the mage corpse, as she was closer to her. The woman held nothing of real value or meaning, perhaps because she was supposed to play the victim, pandering to their heroic way.

"Um… Fallon? This one is still breathing." She groaned and looked behind her. Alistair was kneeling over the blonde elf that had commanded the group. Out of all the fights she had been in she had never had to deal with living assailants after she was done with them. In her quest through the Arl's estate she never had time to double check and since then they had mostly only fought unthinking monsters where it wasn't morally objectionable to stab them twice, just to be sure. Now, somehow, it felt wrong to kill this unarmed man.

"Let's take him back to camp. We can find out how Loghain found…" Fallon groaned loudly, cutting off the rest of her sentence, as she started walking back toward Alistair. That damned arrow, she had forgotten all about it. Teeth gritted to the pain, Fallon ceased walking and beckoned her companion over.

"Oww. How did I not see that sticking out of you sooner?" She shrugged at his question, still clenching her teeth, the pain was getting almost unbearable. "We can't leave it in like that."

"You've got to cut the skin to get the head out." Alistair looked startled but she nodded. "My father is a healer. It…. Mhm… it's not too deep but… I… don't want to tear the skin." Fallon muttered, her entire body tensing up. "Andraste, I don't remember it hurting this bad in Ostagar."

Alistair knelt down in front of her, putting both her hands on his shoulders for support. He took out a small dagger and cut the fabric around the arrow.

"In Ostagar you were unconscious in a matter of seconds. I remember looking over at you on the ground and seeing the light just… fade from your eyes. Alright, deep breath, this is going to hurt." He quickly sliced into the skin on one side of the arrow, talking as he did the other. Tears immediately sprung to Fallon's eyes, but she held back any groans. "I remember seeing you like that and thinking… 'Well, we're done for now. Nothing can stop this.' The Grey Warden's had just lost their most promising recruit. There. It's out. I'll wrap this and Wynne can heal you when we get back."

"You barely even knew me, Alistair."

"Barely, but I knew you. I could tell there was a fire in you that wasn't in Jory, or Daveth, or even me. I can't tell you how blessed I felt when I woke up beside you in that witch's shack. Come on. I'll do the heavy lifting. You can just hobble along beside me and look pretty."

Alistair grunted as he picked the unconscious elf off the ground. Fallon limped beside him, leg not feeling that much better.

"Alistair?"

"Hmm?" He mumbled, assassin thrown over his shoulder like a ragdoll. They began walking.

" I… know we are in a pretty desperate situation, but… I want you to know that … I wouldn't have it any other way. At first I didn't want to join the Wardens but… now I'm glad I did."

"Why did you join?"

"I didn't have a choice. It was that or …" She was about to say 'imprisonment' but that would lead to too many questions. She didn't want to handle that right now. "… marriage. I told you the elves have arranged marriages right? Well, Duncan offered me a way to avoid mine." Guilt twanged in her gut as she remembered Nelaros and his sacrifice for her. It was wrong, not talking about him. She should be crying his name from the rooftops, telling passing peasants on the street, but she couldn't bring that pain up, and for now he would remain unknown to the people that should be admiring him.

"Duncan was a great man. He offered me a way out of saying vows of my own. Mind you mine were Templar vows and I wouldn't be expected to… well… have any children with my fellow Templars. Here is something I've always wondered though. I got my training through the Templars but you… do they even allow elves weapons?"

"They did once, a few years back but the Arl banned it. Why?"

"You brought those two with you… and a knowledge of swordplay I've never seen before. Where did that come from?"

"My mother, she worked for the Arl, a city guard of sorts. When the Arl had bandits threatening the roads or thugs terrorizing the back alleys, he sent her group in to sort it out."

"Were there other elves in the group?"

"No. She was the only one."

"That's impressive. Must have been a great accomplishment for your mother."

"Yes."

"Careful, Fallon, you're starting to sound like Sten. So… one last question then we can walk in awkward silence all the way back… where did your mother get such finely crafted swords?" That one took Fallon off guard. She pulled Fang from her back to look at it. It was finely made. Why had she never seen that before?

"I… I don't know. I never thought to ask."

* * *

"Oh… I rather thought I would wake up dead, but I see you haven't killed me yet." The would-be assassin stirred, wriggling only slightly against the ropes that bound his hands. Wynne had healed his wounds only after attending to Fallon and now stood directly in front of the elf. It was her that the blonde man directed his statement.

"It was not in my power to order your death, Assassin." She stepped aside, joining Leliana and Alistair. Fallon took another step forward and cleared her throat.

"Ah, so I'm to be interrogated. Let me save you some time. My name is Zevran. I'm a member of the Antivan Crows, brought here for the sole purpose of slaying any surviving Grey Wardens. Which I have failed at sadly." Fallon turned away from him, toward her group.

"Have you ever heard of them before?"

"I have. They are a group of highly trained assassins from Antiva, renowned for always getting the job done. Someone went to great expense to hire this man." Leliana replied.

"Two guesses who." Alistair muttered with a nod.

"Would one of those guesses be a taciturn fellow from the capital? Shiny armor, sunken eyes? Logan? Loghain, I think his name was." The assassin smiled up at them, clearly uncomfortable but at ease with the situation. His reaction to his imprisonment was annoying.

"Are you loyal to his cause?"

"Of course not. I care nothing for the politics between Ferelden and Orlais. And really, it was nothing personal, the attempted murder. I'm sure you and the redhead have wonderful reasons for your treason."

"Sorry assassin, but you must be seeing double. I'm the one you are talking to, yet you just mentioned me twice."

"No, not you Warden. I was talking of your conspirator, that redhead over there." He nodded toward Leliana, who looked confused. "The Orlesian who spoke a moment ago."

"Why did you point her out specifically? Were you looking for her as well?"

"She was not nearly as important as the two of you. I was told to look out for the remaining two Grey Wardens and the Orlesian spy they travel with."

"Spy? Leliana is Chantry sister."

"Not according to this Loghain's sources. According to a letter he received the Wardens were traveling with a former Orlesian spy. Loghain and the other unfortunate looking man said it was the proof they needed to validate their concerns."

"Which are?"

"That the Orlesians are planning to invade. Honestly, it is not my concern. I was just in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, this whole thing got increasingly more complicated once the two of you arrived. Well, it was nice while it lasted." Fallon shot Leliana a glance. The look she returned said it all. What the assassin said was true, she was an Orlesian spy.

"How much were you paid to kill us?" Alistair asked, moving to stand beside Fallon.

"Me? Nothing. The Crows, however, were paid quite handsomely, I imagine."

"Why are you telling me all of this? I've barely even needed to question you at all."

"Why not? I was not paid for my silence. The way I see it is you are the one holding the dagger, no reason to tempt you to use it."

"Believe me, I'm already tempted." She rubbed healed skin where the arrow had been, injury still fresh in her mind.

"Well, let me offer you a much more tempting offer. Myself, in any capacity you should wish. I will pledge my allegiance to you Grey Warden. Shine your shoes, warm your bed, whatever you require of me." Alistair growled beside Fallon at this idea. She put a hand to his arm reassuringly.

"That won't be necessary. I've seen your loyalty and I am not interested in it."

"I am actually a very loyal person. However the Crows will kill me for failing to kill you, and I rather enjoy living."

"Sorry Assassin. You won't be getting a second chance to murder us. Come on." Fallon motioned for the group to move out. Their camp was packed and Bodhan was waiting.

"They sent another assassin to kill your ally." The elf blurted out. Fallon turned around, uninterested.

"Really? Who?"

"A man named Eamon."

"What?" It was Alistair who replied now. He stormed up to the assassin, inches from the man's face. "Where did you get that name?"

"Loghain and his minion. Loghain asked if Eamon would be an issue and the minion said that he had already sent someone to deal with it. Quite menacingly, I might add."

"He's lying, Alistair. He probably knew you were close to Eamon. He's trying to get a rise out of us." Fallon whispered, pulling her Templar friend away.

"But how can we know for sure? Only once the news of Eamon's death reaches us in Orzammar."

Fallon groaned. Why couldn't anything ever be simple? She motioned Sten over.

"You are in charge of watching the prisoner. If he does anything threatening I give you permission to do anything you wish, short of killing him or driving him insane. We need his information." She turned to the group. "Change of plans, we're headed to Redcliffe."


	17. Encore of a Familiar Nightmare

**Chapter 17: Encore of a Familiar Nightmare**

* * *

_Kingsway 23rd, The Hinterlands, Afternoon_

"…and then he fell backwards into a bowl of mead someone had left on a bar stool. The man looked quite the fool, and it didn't help that I stabbed him two moments later. Pretty unfortunate way to die. Not the stab, but the mead. That stench just won't wash out of your clothes. Although I guess he didn't have to worry about that." Zevran cackled loudly. Morrigan's thick lips were a thin line of irritation. Fallon was sure the assassin would burst into flames at any moment.

"I fail to understand why we did not kill this intruder. All he seems to do is yammer on with no end in sight."

"Ah, that reminds me of a rather unfortunate story that involves a barrel of yams. I warn you though, it is lewd and not for virgin ears."

"I have yet to hear a single story pass through your lips that was not vulgar." The brunette witch spat, tugging the ropes that bound Zevran's hands tighter. " 'Twould be shocking to discover you have other tales."

"Of course I do dear Morrigan, but they are not nearly as interesting. Do you not wish to be entertained on this long tedious walk?"

"I wish for you to stop wagging your tongue relentlessly." Morrigan rubbed her brow in irritation.

"If you require my silence, beautiful enchantress, I will oblige but I would not be so quick to request the cease of my tongue's movements, not until…"

"Enough. Zevran, you are a prisoner. Please start acting like it." Fallon called back from the front of the group. Alistair laughed. It had been several days of this constant back and forth. Zevran never wanted to shut up, or stop propositioning the members of the traveling party. A small part of Fallon wished she had murdered him before when she had a chance. Now he seemed too harmless, albeit annoying, to execute.

"I imagine it has been some time for you, hiding out in the Chantry. Just know that, should we get out of these bindings, you may use my body as you wish." Zevran said to his fellow prisoner, Leliana.

"I assure you that I am not even slightly interested in taking you up on your offer." Leliana turned away from him, squirming in her rope shackles a little. Fallon felt bad for tying up the woman but she didn't know what else they should do. Leliana admitted to being a former spy for an Orlesian bardmaster named Marjolaine, but maintained that she had given up that life long ago. When Fallon pressed her for more information she simply refused to give it. So, with no other option, the Grey Warden ordered her bound along with the assassin, hoping it would loosen her tongue. It did not, and Leliana never complained about her predicament.

Fallon's head was starting to hurt from the guilt. She had noticed Leliana's wrists were getting chaffed and it felt wrong since the woman had never threatened her or caused their group any harm. They were not far outside of Redcliffe now, perhaps a day or two at most, and she would have to make a decision on what to do with her two prisoners when she arrived. Still, the sight of Leliana's raw wrists hurt her heart. She was in over her head.

The Warden felt fingers entwine with hers, a hand touched her elbow.

"You did the right thing. We don't know if we can trust her or not." Alistair whispered into her ear as they walked, not letting go of her hand yet.

"She has never given us a reason not to trust her."

"This is a pretty good reason. Leliana even admitted that she was a spy."

"Shouldn't her admittance prove that she is innocent? Besides, we have an admitted murderer with us. How can a spy be considered so much worse?"

"Let us just give it some time. We can figure all of this out when we get to Redcliffe."

Fallon nodded and took her hand away, although it was the last thing she wanted at the moment. She turned toward the remainder of the group, stopping everyone in their tracks.

"We are going to make camp tonight. It should only be a day, maybe two before we get to Redcliffe."

"And what, may I ask, will you be doing with us when we get there?" Zevran asked with a smile on his face. Leliana was busy looking at her feet.

"You'll be turned over to the Redcliffe guards and they'll probably throw you both in a dungeon until someone can see to your trial." Zevran nodded at the information but Leliana's eyes flew open, filled with terror.

"No. Please do not put me in a dungeon." Her pretty face was etched with concern and the tone in her voice disturbed Fallon greatly. Leliana hadn't begged for release, hadn't offered an explanation, hadn't tried to escape, but now she was pleading. Fallon hardly knew how to reply.

"No. We will find a room for you. The dungeon is for the assassin." She stammered and turned to the unbound companions. "Set up the tents and let's get a fire going. Someone had better find something good for us to eat."

* * *

The rabbit meat kept sticking to the bottom of the pot. It was burnt in some places and undercooked in others. When Morrigan had returned to the camp in wolf form with a few rabbits in her mouth everyone had expected a decent meal, but unfortunately it was Fallon's turn tonight and she was rubbish with campfire cooking. Back in the Alienage, with the right equipment and the right seasoning she was a passable chef but here her concoctions were deplorable. She divvied out the food, apologizing to everyone as she passed, and finally sat on the ground to choke down the overly chewy and burnt meal. Alistair offered to take the food to Leliana and Zevran, which made Fallon extremely thankful.

"I remember once when I was a bit older then you, I fancied myself a cook. My creations were much worse than this, I assure you." Wynne offered as she politely ate the food. Sten was as silent as ever. Meanwhile, Morrigan simply chuckled into her plate, muttering about how she should have eaten it raw. "Are you still feeling guilty about Leliana?" The white haired mage asked while they supped. Fallon nodded in response. "You are not hurting her. You have not been unkind but removing a threat is expected of a Warden Commander. You owe it to the people that follow you to protect them, whether it is something that is pleasant or not."

"But how can we believe the word of an assassin over her? We know from the people in Lothering that she has been there a long time. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever that she would remain a spy."

"We do not know the answers and it is better to be cautious then foolhardy." Fallon nodded. It was better to be cautious but sometimes fear could manipulate those with good intentions. Loghain was a perfect example of this. He was so afraid of the Orlesians he ignored the Blight completely, dooming Ferelden in the process.

" 'Tis odd that she reacted in that manner when the dungeons were discussed. I would very much like to know why that is." Morrigan added, leaving part of the food uneaten.

"I thought that was peculiar too. She hasn't said a word about this whole thing. Zevran prattles on endlessly, but Leliana is so quiet. She never objects and never fought against the bindings but … the way she looked when I mentioned a dungeon was …. It was odd. This guilt is killing me." Fallon added a half-hearted sarcastic chuckle at the end. These weren't things a leader should be sharing, but she still didn't know the first thing about being a leader.

"Women." Sten muttered as he continued eating his large portion of food. Morrigan had handed her plate to him, uninterested in finishing all of it.

"Yes Sten, is there something you would like to add?"

"An enemy is an enemy. Once they have proven to be such they should be gotten rid of. It doesn't matter if they were a friend the previous day, today they are not. You seem to be forgetting these rules."

"Your rules are not mine. Nothing is as cut and dry as that."

"You speak like a weakling."

"And you speak like a soldier, not a commander. When I require your input I promise you'll be the first to know." He grumbled but didn't respond further. Fallon got up without another word and headed off to the other side of camp where the prisoners were located, tied to posts on Bodhan Feddic's cart. The dwarf had once again not wanted to come with them, but when Alistair spoke of the great trade opportunities in Redcliffe he'd changed his mind, granting them his cart for a jail cell during the night.

A cold wet feeling on her fingertips made Fallon look down and notice Dawson. He whined pitifully, begging to accompany her. She'd never really cared much for dogs but this one was special. She was glad he'd lived through Ostagar. Fallon nodded at his silent request and he barked happily, following her up to the cart where Alistair was helping the prisoners ear their food.

She dismissed Alistair when they got close enough. He attempted to protest but eventually gave up with a smile and a nod, leaving her, Dawson, the assassin, and the spy alone at last.

"I need to know what happened. I know you don't want to tell me but you have to. If I take you to Redcliffe as an Orlesian spy the matter will be completely out of my hands. I can't promise they won't put you in a dungeon. I can't promise anything. That will all be in the hands of the nobles and I'm just an elf with a sword. So please, tell me what happened so I can let you go." Fallon truly wanted to free this woman she had started to think of as a friend. However, she needed something. She could not risk the lives of her other companions or the reputation of the Grey Wardens on one person.

"I promise you, I am no longer a spy." Leliana said in her melodic voice as Dawson attempted to nuzzle her bound hands.

"Why? Tell me why." Leliana took a deep breath as though she was about to plunge into cold water. Her already pale face drained of color.

"Promise you won't tell another soul." It wasn't a question but Fallon nodded as if it was. She understood too well how painful secrets could be.

"I won't tell either. If course they'll likely chop off my head but that is neither here nor there." Zevran spoke and Leliana gave him an appalled look, having forgotten he was seated across from her. After another breath and a disregard for the assassin, she continued.

"I was young when I met Marjolaine. Sixteen or seventeen, I don't remember, but it was love instantly…"

"Do you make a habit of falling in love with women?" Zevran interrupted but the look from both Fallon and Leliana shut him up once more.

"She taught me all she knew about being a bard. With my mother and Lady Cecile dead, I had no one else in the world. Everything was good for a while. I stole secrets around Orlais but it felt like a game, some impossibly intricate game that I knew all the rules for. But Marjolaine knew them better. She tricked me. We worked in Orlais alone mostly. The secrets we sold were to the Orlesian nobles.

During one particular mission I discovered evidence that she was selling secrets to Ferelden. If anyone discovered this she could be killed for treason. Though people would look the other way when it came to Orlesian spying, they would not look favorably on selling to their greatest enemies. I told her, gave her the evidence, and within a week I was locked away for her crimes. I was tortured and brutalized for days before I was even shown the evidence against me. It had been altered. I knew Marjolaine was involved. She did not care about me. She wanted me to die for her crimes. I escaped the dungeons with help and sought safety in the Chantry. I would have stayed there for the rest of my life if not for the Blight and my dream. Please. You must believe me."

"How do I know what you are saying is true?"

"You don't. Trust me. Trust when I told you about my dream that it was honest. The Maker wants me to help you. Have faith in me as I have had faith in you." Fallon paused for a moment, then grabbed the dagger from her belt and began cutting through Leliana's bindings.

"That's it? That's all she had to do? I already confessed everything. You should let me out as well." Zevran protested, holding his bindings toward the elf as far as they would let him.

"Leliana never tried to murder me." She pointed at him with the dagger to emphasize the point then helped the red head out of the wagon. Dawson bounded happily around her feet.

"You decided to let her out?" Alistair asked as he approached, holding a salve for Leliana's wrist.

"I did. Could you help me set up her tent?"

"Wait! I have information!" Zevran yelled as they left. Fallon barely turned back.

"You already gave me your information."

"I have more. For your ears only, of course." Alistair exchanged a silent look with Leliana, after which they both looked doubtfully at Fallon. She waved them off.

"Dawson is by my side and he's tied up. I'll be just a moment." They turned to leave. "Oh and Leliana… I'm sorry this happened."

"You are protecting your friends, that is noble. You admitted when you were wrong, that is humble. There are no hard feelings between us." Fallon smiled at her, perhaps she was sent by the Maker after all, before turning with frustration to face the blonde elf.

"What do you want?" Fallon asked gruffly, leaving Dawson on the ground and climbing into the wagon to occupy Leliana's former seat.

"Someone is following you. I've seen traces of them these last few days. A shadow occasionally or a noise."

"And why didn't Leliana notice this, or Morrigan when she runs off in wolf form or flies away as a crow?"

"I don't know, but I promise that there is someone out there."

"Well thank you for that information." She jumped from the back of the wagon, dust erupted from the dry dirt as she landed.

"Will you let me go?"

"No."

"But the…" That was all she heard before a cold feeling settled in her stomach, a shiver ran up her spine, and a warmth settled in her heart. With shaking hands, she reached for her twin blades.

"Darkspawn!" She screamed before the first were upon them.

The hurlocks roared and the genlocks whined and chattered as they entered the camp. Bodhan yelped at the monsters, grabbed Sandal, and jumped into the back of the wagon without acknowledging the assassin that had previously terrified him. Fallon's blades were already out and she made quick work of a hurlock nearby that wore practically no armor. Its black blood spurted all over her, splashing across her face, chest and hair. Fallon groaned but continued on. Fighting was a messy business.

"Don't let them near us! Don't let the near my son!" Bodhan bellowed behind her. Fallon would have replied with some reassurances but she was lost in thought as Dawson tore out the throat of a Genlock by her feet. They should have been more careful as they passed so close to Lothering, but no one had heard any reports of Darkspawn this close to Redcliffe.

A new genlock charged at Fallon and Dawson. This one wielded a battle axe, grisly and black, but wore very thin armor, with absolutely nothing protecting the throat. She stuck the creature in its belly and slashed Fang across its exposed neck, partially decapitating the monster. She rolled her shoulder and groaned in discomfort as the genlock fell. Her back and arms were aching already.

"Let me out. I'll fight by your side." Fallon laughed at Zevran's suggestion and instead locked her sights on an Emissary just on the edge of the woods. Dawson was already going for it when the monster pulled a chunk of rock magically from the ground and slammed it into the dog. His yelp drove Fallon to run even faster, blood pumping in her ears and sweat dripping down her blood covered face. The Emissary began forming a spell, hands moving faster in intricate patterns, thin cracked lips murmuring unknown words. The ball of energy that took shape cast a very unflattering light on the creature's face, even more unflattering when Fallon jammed her sword through its nasal cavity. Its facial bones cracked and splintered under the pressure of her sword. The monster fell, twitching as he went down. Fallon smiled at her retribution, and kicked the creature in the ribs once for good measure.

"Don't…" She punctuated with another kick, " hurt my dog."

The battle was done and Darkspawn corpses littered the camp. These were untrained. Fresh from… whatever dank hole darkspawn crawled out of. Fallon quickly surveyed the damage but no one had been hurt. Leliana and Wynne were busy searching the monsters for valuables while Alistair and Sten pilled the bodies as far from camp as they could. Dawson approached, only limping slightly, and Fallon quickly grabbed a rag from her pouch to wipe the mabari's mouth. He had been smart enough not to swallow the black liquid that filled it.

"See, Zevran. Darkspawn were all you saw?" Fallon called out to him as she finished with Dawson.

"Yes… because Darkspawn are so good at hiding and subtlety." His sarcasm was more apparent than his elf ears.

"Well, even if we had a stalker, they are probably dead by now."

Zevran nodded in response, watching Bodhan and Sandal climb out of the wagon and head back to their tent before continuing.

"Indeed, Warden Commander … Probably."

* * *

Shianni lay dying once more in her arms, gasping for breath as Death finally took her. Fallon shook her head in frustration, but she could identify this now. A cruel nightmare, conjured by the Darkspawn to warp her mind. Shianni, Soris, her father, they weren't truly dead and now she could reassure herself of that.

Fallon stood up after watching her false cousin die again. It had happened so many times she barely felt a thing anymore. Instead, the Warden was looking for other clues. This place the dreams kept bringing her was so terrible she doubted her own imagination could have come up with it. Rivers of fire ran along thick stone walls, while blood and cruel rock formations painted horrifying images.

The elf stood, knowing the dream would end soon. But it didn't. It continued onward and that was when Fallon noticed a rumbling sound, faint at first but growing louder and louder with each passing second. She turned to her left just in time to see a dark figure emerge from the canyon.

With a mighty beat of its wings, the dragon sent Fallon tumbling to the ground, skinning her knuckles as she attempted to right herself. Her red tresses came out of its bun and covered her face in tangled bunches. The monster roared with an emotion that could only be described as pure resentment. Fallon couldn't see the creature as it approached, but the beast was upon her in moments. It slowly opened its mouth, revealing it's dripping dagger teeth and carrion breath. She pushed back her locks just in time to witness a faint red light grow in the back of its throat. It was at this point that Adaia jumped in with her twin blades slashing violently and stabbed the dragon through the jaw, giving Fallon enough time to get to her feet and back into combat.

Fallon wasn't sure why Adaia was here, but somehow this dream felt familiar. The feeling immobilized the Warden as she attempted to sort out the fog inside her mind. How she grew tired of perplexing visions.

Adaia didn't call out once. She never asked for help or even granted a look at her daughter. The way she fought was odd and cumbersome as well. Something was off about this dream, different from the first time she had experienced it.

Then, with a mighty thrust into the top of the demon's head, Adaia slew the creature, but the monster's retribution was not over. It exploded in white light, sending Fallon rolling backwards into a stone wall behind her. When the smoke cleared, the dragon was gone, but there was a figure lying motionless where it once stood. Fallon rushed quickly to her mother's side, only to discover she was not the dead warrior lying there. It was Alistair.


	18. A Kiss and A Tale

**A Kiss and A Tale**

* * *

_Kingsway 26th, Outside Redcliffe_

The dreams had plagued her every single night since the Darkspawn attacked their camp. It was always the same thing. Soris stabbed, Shianni killed, Adaia slew dragon and turned into Alistair. The significance was lost on her completely but Fallon knew that it must mean something, even if it was just her subconscious telling how she truly felt for the Templar.

She had been sleeping less and less to try and avoid these dreams and it was starting to become evident. Her eyes had dark circle ringing them and her movements were sluggish. Fallon was just lucky that no one decided to attack them on their trip to Redcliffe; otherwise she would have proven as useless as a newborn babe with a stick.

A storm blew in and set the entire group back one full day with terrible winds and a torrential downpour. They decided to set up camp just outside of a small village that was overrun with refugees. It reminded Fallon of Lothering, which seemed like another lifetime ago. To look back, Fallon felt like she was glimpsing the memories of a different person, someone who didn't know what she was doing, who felt weak and confused. Though she still felt weak and confused on most days, Fallon was at least a bit more confident in her abilities, after all, she'd been doing this for several weeks now and hadn't lost anyone yet. Not permanently at least.

The storm raged above them as the group found shelter beneath trees. Morrigan cautioned that lighting liked to find the tallest things around, and that trees were not the wisest place to hide from a storm, but they had few other options. Bodahn went into town to trade, staying at the inn with his son. Meanwhile, the assassin was left with the group to watch, not being allowed to ride out of Fallon's sight with the cart.

"Your dog…. Is making me uncomfortable." Zevran said, and sure enough Dawson sat directly across from the elf, glaring into his eyes and growling softly.

"He just doesn't like you. Make sure not to make any sudden movements. That's how we lost Alistair's twin brother." Fallon joked, though the humor was lost on the other elf.

"Alistair had a twin brother?"

"Oh yes, but he was loud and obnoxious. Smoked a pipe and had a great brown beard that went past his knees. No big loss there." Alistair laughed as Fallon imagined this false brother. It was humorous seeing the Templar's face beneath so much hair.

Leliana made an attempt at a fire, but it failed miserably. Even the magical ones cast by Wynne and Morrigan wouldn't catch for long. Sten and Alistair stretched the canvas from one tent above them, but it soaked through within a few minutes. After this last attempt they simply accepted the cold as inevitable and settled down.

"You haven't been sleeping have you?" Wynne asked.

"How can you tell?" Fallon asked with a weak smile as she attempted to keep rain out of her eyes.

"You look as old as I do." Wynne chuckled, embracing the cold wet rain with a grin. "I love the rain. Storms would lull me to sleep whenever they hit Lake Calenhad. I remember the first time I left the Circle it was raining, cold dreary rain like this. It makes you feel alive."

"Also makes it difficult to sleep." Morrigan added as she pulled some blankets over her body to keep the rain away.

"Is it bad dreams? You have slept fitfully these last few days." Leliana added from the far side of camp with Zevran. She was on watch duty for the next few hours but since no one was sleeping it seemed rather pointless.

"The Warden Commander is not sleeping simply because she has much to think about. The greatest Qunari warriors choose to never sleep soundly so they will always be ready." Sten muttered from the darkest shadows he resided in.

"I'm really fine. I just haven't been sleeping well. I guess everything has simply caught up to me. Really I am fine."

"Perhaps it's just nerves. If I had a decent mortar and pestle I could whip up a nice potion to calm you down. I shouldn't have left it at the Circle." Wynne muttered. The conversation quickly changed to Morrigan propositioning Sten in an attempt to make him uncomfortable, but he threw it back at her easily. Leliana then sang an old Orlesian lullaby she had learned and Zevran complained about his bindings. On her right, Alistair was sleeping beside her, using her shoulder as a pillow with his neck at such an awkward angle that he would surely have muscle cramps in the morning. However, he looked so peaceful Fallon didn't want to wake him up. She grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers with his.

"Wynne… what do you know about dreams?" Fallon asked as the others continued on with their ridiculous conversations completely unaware.

"A fair amount. What sort of dreams?"

"I'm not sure." She gave a half shrug with the shoulder currently unemployed by a Templar's head.

"Well, dreams are constructs of spirits. When you go to sleep your mind, and a piece of your soul, go to the Fade where spirits create dreams for you based on memories and ideas in your head. However, sometimes demons can get a hold of these dreams and turn them into nightmares so they can feed off your fear."

"That's it. So they don't ever really mean anything?"

"No. Dreams mean a great deal. They are the inner workings of your mind laid out before you by the Spirits. Every time you dream you get a real glimpse into your psyche. Now visions are another matter entirely."

"Visions? What is the difference?"

"A Vision is a message. You already get them I am sure. It is part of becoming a Grey Warden if I remember what Duncan told me correctly. He said that you receive messages from the Darkspawn and that causes nightmares."

Fallon nodded, although she was disappointed. Part of her wanted these dreams to be more than that, or maybe less.

"And then… there are the unexplained visions. Leliana claimed to receive one when she was at the Chantry. Visions can be sent by magical connections between people or in your case, the Darkspawn, but sometimes there doesn't seem to be any connection. Leliana's dream that caused her to leave Lothering saved her life, even if it was not sent by the Maker it still must have been sent by someone."

"Do you believe her then? Do you believe that she was sent by the Maker to help us?"

"We were all sent by the Maker to help you. The Maker knew we are in a time of need and influenced all of us to take a path that intersected with the others. Whether or not she literally dreamed of it… That I do not know."

* * *

That night was fitful at best. At midnight the winds calmed down a bit and the rain slowed, letting Wynne and Morrigan work together to create a magical fire. It kept sickness from setting into their bones and eventually everyone was able to settle down to sleep. Everyone, that is, except Fallon. Whether it was a message from the Darkspawn threatening to kill everything she loved or a nightmare caused by demons seeking to scare her, she did not care. Watching them die over and over again felt so real. She couldn't do it again. Not tonight.

Fallon slowly moved from beneath Alistair's head and softly placed him on a blanket she'd folded up for a pillow. Without thinking she stroked his hair and bent in to place a kiss on his cheek, but thought better of it before her lips met his skin. As she moved over to the other side of the camp, Fallon began to wonder what it would feel like to kiss him. Nelaros had been the first man she'd kissed and his lips were cold from the blood loss.

Thinking about him made her very sad. He had been a good man and she still wore his ring around her finger, but even if she had been able to rescue him that day she never could have married him. The man had died for nothing, died rescuing a woman that had no intention of ever being his. To add to the insult, she wore his ring still, even as the grave worms ate his flesh. Fallon shook her head. Of course there would be no burial for him. As an invader in the castle Nelaros would be lucky if they didn't mount his head on a spike or burn his body to ashes. His parents would never be allowed to bury him properly as Elven customs demanded and still his sacrifice went unshared. No one knew what he had done because the person he had done it for was too afraid to say anything.

Fallon plopped down next to Dawson, who still sat vigil over the assassin. She brushed some water droplets off his fur and began scratching him behind the ears.

"Well Warden, a pleasure for you to finally join me. I noticed that you have been avoiding my gaze these last few days. Was it that tender moment we shared on the cart? I could not have been the only one who felt sparks fly." Zevran tittered, barely opening his eyes.

"My fiancé died on our wedding day. He died rescuing me from a noble that kidnapped several other women. He died saving me and I haven't told a single other person that he even existed." Fallon's words poured out of her as she stared off into the darkness not meeting Zevran's gaze. The assassin was quiet for a moment before he found words of his own.

"Why are you telling me this? Perhaps any of your other companions would be better suited to listen. Any of the ones who haven't tried to kill you. Why tell me?"

"Because I know you won't say a thing."

"Why don't you want them to know about this?" He gestured with his head toward the sleeping group.

"I wish I didn't have to know about it. I don't want to put that on them."

"Did the man that kidnapped you die?" Fallon nodded. "Were you the one that killed him?" Fallon nodded again. "Is this why you were forced into being a Grey Warden?" She nodded a final time.

"If Vaughan hadn't kidnapped me I would be in Highever by now with my new husband or more likely, I would have run off with the Dalish. But then Alistair would have been completely alone. He would have chased after those darkspawn to rescue the other Wardens and the Blight would have devoured Ferelden. Or he would have been stuck in his dream in the Circle Tower and died as Sloth consumed his energy. If Vaughan hadn't done what he did and if Nelaros hadn't died rescuing me, I wouldn't be sitting here right now talking to you. I never would have done any of this. I'd probably die at the hands of a Darkspawn with no knowledge of what they were and barely any skill to defend myself. The reason I refuse to tell them is because part of me is glad that things turned out this way. How can that ever be right? My cousin was raped by Vaughan and a part of me is glad that everything happened that way because otherwise I never would have gotten to where I am. How can I wish something that terrible on someone I love?" Fallon let out a sigh as she finished her rant. It was a rhetorical question, but Zevran decided to answer anyway.

"You didn't wish that on her. You simply want to protect her. If it hadn't happened you would not be able to help her as you can now. Do not burden yourself with such frightful thoughts so far from home." They were consumed by silence for several minutes. Crickets chirped and an owl hooted distantly in the forest. Leliana added to the din with delicate snores and Sten muttered more in his sleep then he said while awake. Fallon took a deep breath and shook her head.

"I still can't let you go." Fallon said. Zevran nodded.

"Oh you will. Of that I am certain." Fallon stood up to walk away, giving Dawson one last pat on the head. "Beautiful Warden Commander, I am sorry to say that there is still someone following us. I saw them again last night. Even now I'm sure they skulk in the woods, just out of sight."

"Zevran, I am not letting you out." She added with a huff and took a step to walk away, then turned back. "Thank you."

* * *

Fallon woke up in a room made out of stone. Some sort of cobblestone but well made. It was thick, dark and beautiful. A single candle occupied the room and when she turned Fallon noticed a guard standing by the only door. His sigil was easily recognizable. A guard for the Arl of Denerim's castle. Things were starting to come back to her. The wedding, Vaughan kidnapping the guests. Fallon quickly looked around but saw none of the others. Where was she?

"I demand that you let me go immediately." She screamed at the guard, it was only then that Fallon noticed her clothes were missing and only her smallclothes remained. Her back hurt dreadfully and when Fallon put a hand to the pain it came away with blood. Something was very wrong and she couldn't understand what.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed in the hall outside. Clanging of metal boots on stone and angry laughter. She followed the sound through the walls but it stopped suddenly right in front of the door. Fallon took a deep breath as she tried to recollect herself, then she stepped backwards to get as far from the intruder as possible.

The door swung opening loudly, almost knocking the single guard over. In the doorway stood a blonde haired devil, with a treacherous leer adorning his face.

"Vaughan."

He laughed at her, grabbing her arm roughly and pulling her toward him. He leaned close to her face, breath smelling like cloves and garlic, and whispered in her ear.

"Now I'll make you scream."

He slammed her against the wall and she hit her head on the rock.

Suddenly Fallon was somewhere else. Somewhere she didn't recognize. She was in the halls of some huge castle. She was alone except for the piles of bodies all around her. At the far end of the hall Leliana stood, completely motionless and facing her.

"Leliana?" Fallon called, but the bard didn't react. She was completely frozen. Fallon took a few steps forward and met an invisible wall. It ran across the entire hallway and she couldn't get passed. When she looked up Fallon saw Leliana moving toward her, saying something but it was completely silent. She pulled out her bow and shot invisible enemies, ducked from non-existent attacks. Finally she reached Fallon and just as she reached for her something rose up behind Leliana. A shadow stood, followed by another, and another. They grabbed the bard away with their invisible hands, pulled her down the hall and began ripping at her. First they pulled off her clothes but then they began ripping into her body, Fallon tried to scream but she couldn't. When it was all over Leliana sat in a pool of blood, organs spilling out of her body. Fallon sobbed silently, beating her hands against the invisible wall. Then, suddenly, Leliana stood up, her face a grimace of evil. Her organs fell to the floor and she lunged at Fallon behind the invisible wall.

* * *

Fallon woke up. Her hands were shaking visibly. Both dreams were so horrendous she didn't know which to acknowledge first. The air was growing warmer and the rain had stopped completely. The elf still shivered fitfully from fright. Her hand went to Alistair and shook him awake.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Alistair sat up, rubbing his eyes. Fallon put her arms around his neck and pulled him close into an embrace. He wrapped his own arms around her waist as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Fallon?"

"I'm sorry. It was just a nightmare."

"Anything worth sharing?" He asked, speaking into her red hair. Fallon pulled away from the hug.

"No. Nothing to be concerned with. Thank you."

"That's part of my duty miss. And always remember…" She cut him off with a kiss on the cheek. Originally she had wanted to kiss his lips but lost her nerve halfway to his face. The gesture still made Alistair smile. "Well now how am I supposed to sleep?" She laughed and lay back down but Alistair didn't move. He stayed propped up against the tree behind him. "I'll just stay up for a while." He grabbed her hand. "Keep the demons at bay."

It was the first real night of sleep she had gotten in a long time.

* * *

_Kingsway 27, Redcliffe, Mid Day_

Fallon didn't tell anyone about the dream she had of Leliana or share the nightmare about Vaughan, although both continued to bother her. At the moment everyone was too busy worrying about what Arl Eamon would say and whether or not he was in fact ill as the assassin had told them. Alistair doubted the elf but Fallon feared that he spoke more truth then they realized. She was already trying to plan what they would do if Eamon was dead.

The dream about Vaughan nagged at her constantly. She feared it was some sort of repressed memory and perhaps more had happened that night then she realized. However, the more rational part of her decided it was probably simply caused by the fact that she spoke out that incident for the first time in a long time. Zevran hadn't told anyone about Fallon's past and she respected him for that. Although, he probably just didn't particularly care and keeping such a small secret might help him out of his bindings in the end.

"It's just over this hill. It has been such a long time since I've been back." Alistair said as he adjusted his backpack, tightening it as he walked.

"Are you nervous?" Fallon asked, though she couldn't blame him. Eamon's wife had sent him away and he hadn't seen his foster father in almost ten years. Letters were exchanged occasionally but Alistair had been such a furious adolescent that a rift had been torn between the two when he left for the Chantry.

"I don't blame him now but the way we left things… I would understand if he hated me."

"Alistair, you were a child…"

"Old enough to know that words can hurt."

"He abandoned you. I would have done the same at that age."

"That's what I thought at first but he knew this would be a better life for me." Fallon decided not to argue with him. Whether it was right or not, that didn't matter; all that mattered is that Alistair could finally sleep at night.

The group crested the hill and saw Redcliffe for the first time. The castle sat tall and imposing on a cliff of red clay at the far edge of Lake Calenhad, high above the city. It looked larger then the Arl of Denerim's manor and Fallon could scarcely imagine Alistair growing up in such a place, running through the halls and playing in the armory until Eamon sent him to bed.

Below the castle was the city of Redcliffe, imposing in its own right. Alistair told her that it began as a trading outpost for the Circle of Magi, nestled right on Lake Calenhad, but as more people settled the place had to expand. Now half the city sat over top of the lake itself, built on a system of docks and bridges.

From where they stood little could be seen of the villagers but a large fire was currently occupying the center of town, just behind the Chantry. Fallon could see a flurry of activity far below them, although from all the way up here the Redcliffe villagers were little more than specks of black.

"Could I talk to you a moment? Alone?" Alistair asked, glancing back at the rest of their companions. Bodhan was having trouble with his horses that were currently being tormented by a playful Dawson. Morrigan was arguing with Wynne and Sten was taking guarding Zevran very seriously. Fallon nodded and walked a bit farther with the Templar.

"I'm not really sure how to tell you this. This isn't a conversation that I wanted to have with you right now but I don't think I can avoid it any longer." The tone in his voice was serious and Fallon suddenly regretted agreeing to talk with him privately. Alistair looked like someone had murdered his cat and spoke like he suspected Fallon as the culprit.

"What is the problem?"

"There isn't a problem exactly. Um… How do I say this? Well, remember how Arl Eamon took me in after my mother died?" Fallon nodded, still unsure of the conversations point. "Well… the reason he did this is because my father… was King Maric, which makes King Cailan my half-brother." To Fallon it felt like she was punched in the stomach and for half a moment it was difficult to breathe. Of all the things that Alistair could have said at that moment, this was the very last thing she had suspected.

"I… I'm not sure how to respond to that." She started to open her mouth again but lost whatever though she was about to add. Everything had crashed down around her. It was bad enough that she was so interested in this human Warden, but now it was unlikely they could be anything. If he had told her sooner she could have prepared herself, distanced herself from any strong feelings she might develop for him. Instead he decided to keep it from her until the last possible second, after she already liked him. Well past the point of no return.

"I am sorry. I wanted to tell you earlier but I wasn't sure how to say it."

"How about, Hello my name is Alistair. Oh and by the way I happen to be heir to the throne?"

"No. It was made very clear growing up that I'd never be in line for the throne."

"That was before your brother was killed. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I was just so used to it being a secret. Everyone who was supposed to know already knew. People treated me differently for it. I was both an inconvenience and something precious to be protected. Even Duncan coddled me more than his other recruits."

"He probably protected you because he loved you."

"No, it was because the Calenhad blood line needed to be protected. Whether or not I was a legitimate child didn't matter. I had the king's blood." He took a deep breath and his hand went to his sandy blonde hair. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I just liked being Alistair with you. I didn't have to pretend to be anyone else. People always treated me different when they find out and I wanted to delay that as long as possible." Fallon groaned. She wanted to be upset and her heart did feel broken, but she couldn't' stay mad at Alistair. Not when he looked so desperate for her approval.

"I'm still upset that you didn't tell me earlier, but I'm glad you said something now. That probably would have been an awkward conversation with Eamon and me if you'd waited any longer." Alistair chuckled, letting go bounds of anxiety that had clearly built up in his chest.

"You would have killed me for sure. Murder or a lecture for Eamon? I don't' know which one is worse." Fallon smiled but her heart was not. Alistair was perfect. Humorous and clever. Brave and noble. More handsome then any man she'd met before. But now, he was a prince. Being human was bad enough but a noble human was an impossibility. She'd have to try to suppress her feelings for him a little better.

As she was lost in thought, Alistair leaned in. With an arm around her waist and a hand cradling the back of her head, he kissed her lips softly. Fallon's heart jumped mightily in her chest but she didn't turn away. The kissed seemed to last an eternity and the elf was sad when she felt Alistair leave. The hand that had been at her waist fell down to the side and grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry if that was too soon. I have wanted to do that since the first time I met you." Fallon wanted to come up with some retort but she couldn't decide whether something humorous would be appropriate or not. As her mind feuded with itself they heard someone approaching. Footsteps behind them, and labored breathing.

"Thank the Maker you're here. Please come with me. The Bann is in the Chantry." The footsteps belonged to a peasant and by the looks of his grimy clothes, he was likely a farmer.

"Take a breath, ser, and tell us what you are talking about."

"Didn't anyone send you? Are there more of you coming?" The man looked half crazed. Though probably in his mid-thirties, he looked significantly older, with deep wrinkles around his eyes and a harried expression on his face.

"No one sent for us. Tell me what you are talking about." Fallon said more harshly, hoping to get some answers out of the man before he completely lost it.

"The monsters, they come out of the castle at night. Bann Teagan sent a messenger to get some help but they never returned. I had hoped it was you. Please. Please help us. We are dying." Alistair and Fallon exchanged a look, nothing was ever easy.

"Yes. Take us to Bann Teagan immediately."


	19. The Dark Battle

**Chapter 19 **

**A Dark Battle**

* * *

_Kingsway 27, Redcliffe, Mid Day_

The smell of death was prevalent in Redcliffe and it saddened Fallon to realize that the stench didn't bother her any longer. There were piles of corpses lining the streets and dead eyed villagers set to work stacking them on the large pyre behind the Chantry. A thick black smoke rose off the flames. Leliana gasped audibly.

"What happened to all of them?" She whispered.

"I do not know for certain but I feel that this horror is not over." Wynne added ominously, and Fallon had to agree. The villagers of Redcliffe stared at them with a look that made it clear they were not considered rescuers but future corpses to feed the fires. The hopelessness was an oppressive wave and they all felt it.

"What happened here?" Fallon asked the man leading them into the city. She practically had to run to keep up with him. The man shook his head several times before answering.

"No, no… I better not tell you. It would be better if you asked the Bann. I would just mess it up. The man prattled on to himself for a while, proving to the group that he was on the cusp of sanity, but, with no one else to lead them, he remained their guide.

The insane man led them straight to the Chantry, opening the thick oaken doors onto a light starved group of frightened civilians. Fallon had wondered where all the children were being held and now their weary, blinking eyes met hers. Most were filthy and all were scared but they were being tended to by the Sisters while their parents toiled outside. There were several frightened adolescents locked away as well but most looked to be under the age of ten. Fallon noticed a woman in the corner rocking a newborn. Besides the Sisters, she was likely the oldest one in the building, though she looked no older than thirty.

In the center of the overcrowded Chantry stood a handsome well groomed man with chestnut hair and a matching beard. He had wrinkles around his eyes and one deep-set into his forehead but Fallon could not tell if this was caused by age or a difficult life, perhaps a combination of the two. He was busy exchanging words with a Sister. Though Fallon couldn't make out what was being said, the way he gestured to the windows and doors made it clear that he was discussing improvements to their barricades.

"Ser. Bann Teagan, ser?" The man said as he approached the noble giving orders. The man turned and gave a half-hearted smile but it didn't reach his eyes. "I found these people on the outskirts of town. They claim to be Grey Wardens and had a wagon filled with supplies."

"I thought all the Grey Wardens died at Ostagar. If Loghain is to be believed, then they died murdering the king."

"No. My brethren did not murder the king." Fallon prepared to defend the other Wardens against Loghain's insults but they did not come streaming out of Bann Teagan's mouth.

"Do not worry my dear. I have no love of Loghain and I knew Duncan personally. He was a good man. What is this I hear of supplies?"

"They are not ours to dole out. They belong to Bodhan Feddick, a merchant, he will be happy to sell weapons and food to your fighters but will want to be compensated."

"Have no worry of that. He will be compensated. On the morrow."

"Bann Teagan," Alistair spoke finally, little more than a whisper. "I am not certain if you remember me. It has been several years and the last time we met I was covered in mud."

"Alistair? It is good to see you alive. Eamon will be glad to hear it. We both mourned for some time over Cailan, and yourself."

"You mourned for my death?"

"Certainly, Eamon was inconsolable. He will be glad to see your face once more."

"We heard that he is in poor health. Are these just rumors?" Fallon asked. The rest of her group was silent, though Morrigan was looking at her nails with more interest than the suffering people surrounding them.

"I am afraid what you heard is true, although I do not know the extent of it. Lady Isolde sent a message to me claiming that Eamon was so bad only the Urn of Sacred Ashes could cure him. When I finally arrived here, I found the castle impenetrable and the civilians dying."

"The Urn of Sacred Ashes?" Fallon knew the legend of the holy remains of Andraste, but it was just that, a legend. If someone was resorting to that to cure a loved one then the ailment was severe.

"What happened to the people here? Why are there so many dead?" Wynne requested.

"After I received the letter from Isolde I came as soon as I could. When I arrived Redcliffe was already like this. The townspeople were hiding in the Chantry and most wouldn't explain what had happened to them. I found out first hand that night. Creatures poured out of the castle and killed any that fought back. Many that ran were caught and dragged back to the castle only to come out the next night as one of the monsters."

"Were they abominations?" Leliana asked with interest. Fallon wondered the same thing but knew the answer before he spoke. Abominations were mages and demons combined. Unless Redcliffe had a large population of apostates there was no way they could be the self-combusting monsters they battled at the Circle Tower.

"I would describe them as such, Madame, but they were not creatures possessed by demons. These things looked just like the men and women they had been, but with a darkness in their eyes. Something evil took over their bodies and sent them on a mission to destroy the town."

"Magic most definitely, but I fail to see why we should help these peasants?" Morrigan mused, still picking at her fingernails. Fallon turned on her.

"We are helping because I say we are helping. Six more well trained fighters will do wonders to help this town. "

"Seven if you count that obnoxious elf." Morrigan retorted, though she didn't looked pleased with the prospect of aiding these people. Fallon hadn't considered Zevran but perhaps the enchantress was right. If they were aiding the people in a fight against undead creatures, perhaps her would-be assassin should help as well.

"We are not counting the assassin." Alistair whispered under his breath, and Morrigan shot him an evil glance. Fallon turned back around to face Bann Teagan who was observing their group with unease.

"We would be glad to help you with this. Just tell us what you need. My companions will get it done." Fallon spoke in her most commanding voice possible.

"Thank you. They will not let me leave the Chantry, afraid that I will be hurt by the monsters, but I need eyes out there. I need more fighters if possible and I need you to protect the Chantry at all costs. If we can survive this night then I will help you break into the castle."

_Kingsway 27, Redcliffe, Dusk_

The air still smelled but as the embers and remains cooled so had the stench. Now the women and elderly were busy moving food and supplies into the Chantry while the men practiced fighting and archery. They were abysmal to say the least. As they walked across the yard Fallon heard Leliana audibly wince as their arrows lodged in wood and the ground in front of the target.

"Leliana, go teach them what you can." Fallon said after the wincing grew tiresome. Leliana thanked her and ran off to the leader of the militia, explaining her talent and offering instruction. As the red head bounded away, Fallon gaze was drawn to the Feddick's wagon just on the edge of the city. It was surrounded by frightened villagers and militia, being bombarded with requests. Bodhan looked ready to bash the villages in the face while Zevran and Sandal looked like they were both thoroughly enjoying themselves. Fallon hated herself for what she was about to do, but there weren't many options left.

"Alistair, Sten, go break up that group please. Bodhan looks like he needs some help." Alistair nodded at her request and Sten grumbled but both jumped to the task with Dawson hot on their heels. Sometimes she wasn't sure if the mabari was really hers at all. After the men were at their task, Fallon took the remaining women to their captive.

"Zevran, we require your services." Fallon told him when she got close. The elf smiled and looked away from the game he had been playing with Feddick's son.

"Which services my captor? I have quite a few you may be interested in." Sten and Alistair were still busy trying to keep the crowd back from the wagon. She was glad that the heir to the throne hadn't heard that comment. Not only would he try to talk Fallon out of this, he'd probably knock Zevran unconscious as well. She pressed on.

"Your fighting skills are all I require. " She bent to unshackled him when Morrigan spoke up.

"'Tis not the best course of action. This assassin has already proved his worth when he failed in killing you."

"If he had succeeded then we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

"True, but he cannot be that good, can he?" She grimaced at the elf who grinned back at her.

"No, he just proved he wasn't as good as I am." Fallon smiled and Zevran looked wounded.

"I happen to be a great assassin. Perhaps it was just an off day for me. And, to be fair, I was only ordered to kill Alistair. I don't think they knew your beautiful and fearless leader even existed."

"I am in favor of giving Zevran a chance. This is a moment of redemption if he so chooses. Be careful of your actions, young man. You are being given a great opportunity." Wynne had perfect her lecturing tone through years of teaching. Zevran almost looked cowed. Fallon had almost finished undoing his bindings. She stopped fussing for a moment and looked into the elf's brown eyes.

"Prove that you can be trusted and I will let you join us."

"And if I do not prove trustworthy?"

"You're free to go back to Anitiva, but if you attempt to kill me, Alistair, or one of my companions then I will not be so merciful."

"Hmm… well I believe I will stay put for the time being. As you said before, you seem to have exceeded me in skill and I may still need some sort of protection in the immediate future." She nodded and undid the last part of his cuffs, letting his raw wrists meet the cool air once more. He immediately started rubbing them.

"Wynne? Is there anything you can do for him?" Fallon asked and Wynne placed her hand on Zevran's but he stopped her.

"Do not waste your energy on my wrists. I'm sure we will all need your services before the day is out." He gestured to the carnage around him and Fallon had to agree. The thing that nagged at her the worst was her dream about Leliana. What was it about if not her rising from the dead as a monster? She'd have to keep a close eye on the bard. Letting even one of her companions die was not something she could deal with.

"What did you do?" Alistair's voice was full of accusation as he walked toward them, seeing the assassin free for the first time.

"Good Afternoon, my Templar friend, I have recently joined your ranks of free people. What say we paint the town red and head toward Redcliffe's closest brothel?" He put a hand on Alistair's shoulder, who quickly shrugged it off.

"Redcliffe doesn't have a brothel."

"What kind of a town is this?"

"Alright, we have work to do. Alistair, I know you are angry with me but this place needs as many soldiers as it can get. Let's put aside our mutual dislike for the assassin and try to protect the villagers of Redcliffe." Zevran pouted at the mention of dislike and Alistair crossed his arms defiantly, but no one challenged her. Fallon continued.

"Leliana is busy helping them train. Wynne, I would like you to tend to their wounded. Morrigan, I require two things from you. First, see if you can figure out what spell is creating these monsters. Then I want you to cast spells on our weapons and armor, anything that you think will help. Sten and Zevran, the villagers need to learn how to fight in hand to hand combat but they also need help preparing the defenses. Divide your time equally between those two jobs. Alistair, you are with me. Does anyone have any questions?" No one spoke. "Good. We will meet back here two hours before sunset. Be ready and gather any information you can." They all started to walk away and Fallon began heading toward the windmill where Teagan said one of the castle knights was planning the attack. Alistair stopped her before she got too far.

"Fallon…"

"No, we are not going to talk about Zevran. I know you don't like it and neither do I but sometimes we need to make sacrifices."

"He tried to kill us. What makes you think he won't try again?"

"It doesn't matter if he tries. We outmatch him."

"Sword to sword, perhaps, but what's to stop him from poisoning us?"

"Alistair, stop worrying. I'll have Wynne cast a ward on all out meals for a while. If he tries to poison us and we survive the night he will probably think we are abominations or something."

Alistair didn't look completely convinced but he stopped talking about it. Fallon nodded at him, and then continued on her way. She didn't get much past the blacksmith's before another voice called to them.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry. I heard that you were a Grey Warden. Is that true?" It was the woman from inside the Chantry. She clutched a baby in one hand and tried to keep the curly blonde hair out of her face with the other. The wind started to pick up and the baby started to whimper. Babies made Fallon nervous. She liked children but before they could walk they were scarier than a spider pushing her off a cliff.

"Yes. We are Grey Wardens. What can I help you with?"

"Oh thank the Maker! Did you know my husband? Jory? He went with Duncan to join the Grey Wardens but I haven't heard anything back. I know they were wiped out but I hoped that someone would know what happened to him. Please…" Her eyes were dark brown and rimmed with tears. Fallon didn't know what to say. That her husband had died a coward, murdered by the man that recruited him? That seemed one cruelty too many. The woman was on the verge of destruction, threatened by an undead army, the last thing she needed was to be disillusioned about her husband. She didn't speak for a moment.

"Please, I came all the way to Redcliffe to hear some news but then all of this happened… Oh I don't know what to do…" The water rimming her eyes spilled forth down her cheeks. The babe in her arms began crying as well. Fallon shifted uncomfortably.

"I am sorry to say that your husband did die with the rest of the Grey Wardens. But I personally saw him put down his life to try to protect the king. He may have been over run by darkspawn but Ser. Jory was a true knight until the bitter end. I'm very sorry for your loss." Fallon put a hand on her shoulder, trying to console the woman, who had already ceased sobbing.

"Thank you so much. I knew he was gone. I could feel it in my heart, but I just needed to know what happened. My poor Jory. I miss him so much." She started to cry again and Fallon put an arm around her.

"He spoke only of you and I know he would be furious if I didn't take care of you, so please head back to the Chantry." Jory's wife nodded weakily and tottered back to the holy place she'd come from. Fallon let out a deep sigh and turned back to Alistair.

"It's not fair what they did to Jory. He and his wife should be back in Highever together. He was never cut out for Warden work and they would have known that if they told him about the Joining before he joined." They headed toward the windmill. Alistair nodded at her appraisal, moving to the side as a citizen dashed by them on some important errand.

"The Grey Wardens don't tell people about the Joining and Duncan was nothing if not traditional."

"Well I'm going to do things differently. After this is over and I have to rebuild the Wardens, that is the first thing I'll change." The hill that led to the windmill was much steeper then she had originally anticipated and the ground was soft from a recent rain. It took several false starts before they could make it without slipping.

"I? Don't you mean we?" Alistair joked as he wiped mud off on his trousers. They were near the top and Fallon chose not to address his question until they got to the top. Truthfully, she hadn't meant we, not when Alistair was the only remaining heir to the throne. She didn't understand much about human politics, but she knew that much at least. Theirs was a partnership that could only last as long as the Blight did. "Fallon?" He asked again when she didn't respond. They reached the precipice without any real feelings of triumphs and considerably dirtier. Fallon tried to scrape some of the dirt off her hands with the rougher part of her leather armor. It didn't work.

" I'm sorry, but I didn't mean we. Alistair, you are in line for the throne. They are going to…"

"See, this is why I didn't want to tell you in the first place. Would you stop treating me badly because of who my father is? I have already grown tired of it." The sudden change in his voice took her off guard but Fallon soldiered on anyway.

"I'm not treating you badly. I just don't see how they can let you continue as a Grey Warden when you are King."

"Stop. I am not the future King to you. I am Alistair, your hilarious Grey Warden companion. I want to be included in your future plans, even if they are just in your mind. Understand?" Fallon nodded but didn't fully believe it yet. Apparently this showed on her face and Alistair continued. "I am not going to be king. I don't want to be king. What I do want is to continue being your friend, continue being your partner. Am I still?"

"Of course you are. Alright, I'll include you in my future plans. Happy?"

"Very." He bent down and kissed her for the second time this hour. This one wasn't as quick as the other but it also seemed sweeter. His hand went to her cheek and hers to his. As they parted, Fallon could feel the mud left beneath her eye, but she didn't mind. "I'm sorry. I've wanted to do that for a while now." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"I didn't turn you away. Now, shall we go fight undead monsters?" He nodded and with a flourish, stepped out of the path for her.

" Lead the way, my lady."

* * *

The fighters weren't ready by any standards but at least they had more experience and training then a few hours prior. Wynne had healed even the most minor of wounds and spent the last few hours getting as much rest as she could manage. Fallon saw her now, on shaky feet, exit the Chantry and join everyone else in the city square. The old woman looked haggard but held her head up high.

Morrigan sat on crate just on the other side of the meager barricade, still looking utterly bored. The witch hadn't detected any enchantments but she did feel some sort of tear in the veil, similar to the one they had witnessed at the Circle Tower. This meant demons and possibly abominations. Fallon had dealt with those creatures before but she had hoped she'd never have to face their kind again. Darkspawn were easier.

The sun was setting behind the cliffs and Fallon could sense the battle was nearing. The uncertainty was more frightening then the fight at hand. Fang was ready though, and his unnamed twin. Her mother's swords, which had been pointed out as well made despite both of them growing up in the Alienage. Had they been stolen from some noble in Denerim? Somehow Fallon doubted that. Her mother did not believe in stealing, even in the unfair world they lived in. Perhaps a gift, Adaia had worked for the Arl so maybe he granted her these beautiful swords.

As Fallon stood, lost in the thought, day ended and night began. In the distance, she could see the gates of the castle open and a thick green fog come rolling out of it. These creatures must be hidden beneath the fog, poised for the moment when the sun's glaring light would cease and Redcliffe would be theirs once again.

It took too frightfully long for the fog to reach them. The otherworldy creatures were fast, but they had a long way to go. Several city guardsmen stood at the mill with several traps Leliana had been able to piece together. They would slow the creatures down with fire and steel but Teagan had explained to them that these creatures wanted the townspeople; first and foremost they would head for the Chantry.

Yells and clashing of weapons met everyone's ears as the green fog began to slide down the hill and cover the village. Fallon braced herself for the first appearance but the creature was shot down with a bolt of fire from Morrigan before she had a chance to see it.

Then there was one in front of her. It did not seem to notice that she existed, nor care. The monster looked like a washerwoman, though half her body did seem to be burned rather severely. The woman's eyes were fixed on Chantry door and when Fallon stepped in between, she lazily hacked at her with a broad axe. A slice across the chest and one across the back took her down, but she got back up in half a second, taking Fallon off guard.

Another creature approached. This was a portly older man with a moustache, but his arms seemed to have been chewed on and bits of muscle were showing. He tacked Fallon, giving the washerwoman time to escape. His hands were strong and the smell was stronger. Fallon wanted to vomit as she tried to force the creature off, hands getting stuck in the mush of his exposed muscles.

She thrust both swords into his mid-section, causing the creature pause and giving herself time to push the beast off of her. Another thrust went to the back of the head, which stopped the creature cold. She left Fang lodged in the man's brain for a moment and charged after the washerwoman, felling her before she reached the Chantry doors. Fallon ran back to the barricade, pulled her sword from its grisly sheath, and readied herself for battle once more.

The creatures were never ending. They kept coming. Hundreds against a few dozen soldiers and half a handful of villagers with a modicum of training. The sobs that wracked the air as the citizens of Redcliffe recognized the creatures sent against them. A mother, a brother, or a child. The children were the hardest. Despite being dead creatures, not one of the militia wanted to touch them. If the archers did not slay them from a distance, Fallon instructed Wynne and Morrigan to handle it. Magic could be a bit more detached.

The numbers began to thin and Fallon quickly counted the corpses that had piled up. One hundred, possibly two, but not the horde she'd been led to believe. Redcliffe had several thousand villagers, perhaps slightly less occupants then the Alienage in significantly more space. Even with more then half the population alive and the militia holding off the monsters night after night, they should have more to kill then this. She looked up at the moon's position, it was barely midnight.

"The water?! They are coming out of the water!" A villager shouted in fear and the elf gazed at Lake Calenhad. Figures began rising out of the waves, stepping up onto the beach with dripping wet hair. From where Fallon stood the heads bobbed along until they reached the sand. The shores of Calenhad looked like they were boiling.

It was destined to be a very long night.


End file.
